Another Time and Place: A Zelink Story
by Eden Kingsley
Summary: Princess Zelda is being forced into a marriage to secure the safety of her kingdom and her people. She has only two weeks before the wedding to find out what kind of king her future husband will be, and if he really will deliver on all the promises he has made to protect the people of Hyrule. With some help from her appointed knight, she will learn the truth.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I am not a gamer. I am not overly familiar with everything that happens in the games. If a game requires you to be able to walk in a straight line or uses more than a joystick and a single button, then I most likely can't play it. But I enjoy watching other people play. Specifically my daughter. It was her love of this universe that sparked my interest and then I just fell in love with the ZeLink pairing. So please don't pick my story apart pointing out inaccuracies. Consider this an alternate universe, anything goes story.**

 _ **Warning, this story will be rated T for language, adult situations and sensuality. I will keep it teen, but on occasion, I may write an additional M rated scene that will only be available by request. These scenes will be implies in the Teen version and are not required to follow along. If you like reading the extra scenes, just send me a quick pm. Please don't request these scenes if you are under 18. They may deal with very graphic content or mature subject matter than might be a trigger to some.**_

 **I do not own The Legend of Zelda or it's original characters. Only the story line is mine. I hope you enjoy.**

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I take one more look in the full-length mirror as my father enters the room. He looks pleased with my appearance. Why wouldn't he? I'm wearing one of my finest gowns, and my corset is tight enough to make me look like I have that perfect, yet unattainable figure that appeals to men. The fact that I can barely breathe in this thing doesn't seem to phase him.

"You look lovely my dear."

I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "Do I really have to do this? I've heard some terrible rumors about King Ghirahim."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. King Ghirahim is a wonderful ruler, his people love him." My father takes a step closer and dangles a heart-shaped locket in front of my face. "This belonged to your mother. She wore it the day she was introduced to me." My father's hands reach around my neck as he hangs the locket in its place.

My heart rate begins to speed up, and I start to feel dizzy. "I can't do this. I can't marry a man I've never met."

"That's why you're meeting him tonight. The wedding isn't for another few weeks."

"Father, I want to marry for love. I've told you that since I was a child."

"Yes, and I've done everything in my power to make that happen. You have met with every eligible suitor from here to Kakariko Village. Many of which you spend a lot of time with. Yet you claim not to love any of them. Well, I'm sorry Zelda, but we are out of time. You can't hold on to these childhood fantasies any longer. Our military is weak, and the money is almost gone. It won't be much longer that we can protect our people without an alliance with the neighboring kingdoms. You already know this."

A tear runs down my cheek, because I know he's right. If I want my people to survive, I have to give up my freedom. I have to become Ghirahim's new wife. "But he is so different than we are."

"That has nothing to do with it. His kingdom is the strongest of the members of the peace treaty. He has the best military, unlimited amounts of gold and an open spot to rule by his side. Unfortunately, for us, that is all that matters." My father pressed his forehead against mine. "Remember what I taught you about being royalty?"

I swallow hard as I recite the lesson that has been burned into my mind. "A good ruler does not sit back and allow his people to serve him, but stands with open arms and does everything in his power to serve his people."

"That's right. We can't be selfish and let our people down just because it is not our will. They depend on us for their lives. There are somethings we have to sacrifice for the good of the kingdom. Now, I need you to compose yourself, have your maidens liven up your face and hair, then meet me in the great hall to greet our guests. I expect you will be on your best behavior this evening so that Ghirahim will not back out of our agreement."

"As you wish father." I watch him walk out of my room before a flood of tears overtakes me.

My handmaiden, Impa passes me a hanky, a look of sympathy staring back at me as she strokes my hair gently. "Your father is right. The people in the village are suffering. We lost more than half our soldiers in the last battle. We won't survive another. Would you rather marry a good king or allow an evil one to take over by force?"

"I know he's right." I try to wipe away the tears but more appear. "I know what my duty is, and what I must do for my people. I just need a few minutes to say goodbye to my childhood. The Zelda I used to be must be forgotten. I have to become someone else. I have to grow up. I just never thought it would happen so soon."

"So soon princess? You will turn eighteen in three days."

"And yet I still feel like a child. I want to make all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons."

Impa smiles. "That is something you will never grow out of, no matter how old you get. The difference between being an adult and being a child is making the right decisions because you have to not because you want to. Life isn't easy for any of us, but accepting your new responsibilities instead of fighting them will make it easier to bare. Trust me, I speak from experience. This way you can go to sleep each night knowing your people are safe and well fed." She strokes my hair one last time. "I'll go get you some calming tea to relax you a bit. King Ghirahim will be here within the hour, and you must be ready."

I wipe my face again as Impa leaves through the servant's entrance. She has always been good to me and always tried to make my royal responsibilities seem less demanding than a young girl sees them. Her comforting has always worked. Even tonight, I feel my soft heart harden knowing what my future must become. I watch the practiced hands of my maidens as they apply my makeup in a way I never have before. Tonight I can't look like a carefree teenager. Tonight I have to be a desirable future queen to King Ghirahim. Tonight I say goodbye to the Zelda I once was and become a woman I've never met.

I meet my father in the great hall ten minutes later. He takes my hand and smiles with pride at the site of his little girl now looking fully grown up. "King Ghirahim is a lucky man. You are the most beautiful woman in the kingdom."

"I hope he will see more than just how I look," I reply, just as the heavy metal door swings open and several guards enter with a pale man walking several paces behind. I swallow hard as I perform the royal curtsy that is expected of me.

"King Ghirahim," my father bows his head to the newcomer. "We are honored to have you in our kingdom." Then he turns to me. "May I present my daughter, Princess Zelda."

I bow my head shrinking down even lower than I already am in my bow. "Your Highness. I am honored to make your acquaintance."

Ghirahim doesn't look the least bit interested in the formalities and immediately takes my hand and pulls me back up to a standing position.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. We are both in need of something that the other can offer. There is no point in dragging this out longer than it needs to be. I've had a long journey, and for this evening, I'd like nothing more than a room to rest in."

"Of course." My father signals one of the guards to come forward, but Ghirahim stops the guard in his tracks.

"I'd like the Princess to show me to my room if you don't mind."

I take a step back, unsure how to reply. This is a very unusual request. I may be this man's future bride, but for the time being, I should not be left alone with him. It is an improper request. I pray that my father refuses, but I know he won't. We can't take any chances of King Ghirahim pulling out of our agreement.

"Of course," my father agrees hesitantly. "But I insist on accompanying you both. I will see to it myself that your room is our finest and you have everything you require during your stay."

I let out a silent sigh of relief as my father takes my hand and leads us towards the central staircase.

Ghirahim frowns, apparently displeased with my father's reply, but he nods his head and follows close behind us.

My heart is beating much faster than it should be. I know I should try to at least like Ghirahim, but as of yet, I only find him cold and calculating.

Once we make it to the largest guest suite in the castle, my father opens up with more small talk. "The room has been visited by many royals before you. I have never heard a complaint."

Ghirahim looks around quickly. "It will have to do. I'll be ready to complete our negotiations at dawn, and we shall be leaving by noon as agreed upon." Ghirahim turns to me. "Are you already packed Princess?"

"Packed?" I look to my father for an explanation. "Packed for what?"

Ghirahim's mouth turns up in a grin. "Why, to come move into my kingdom. I want you to feel comfortable there so your father and I agreed you would come back with me to get settled in before the wedding. I think two weeks should be sufficient time for you to familiarize yourself with your new home."

"What?" I can't believe my father didn't tell me about this sooner. I squeeze his hand, trying my best to keep myself under control. "I'm leaving here tomorrow?"

My father looks sad. "It is for the best my daughter. I will be there in ten days to attend the wedding festivities. Your maidens can go with you if you desire and King Ghirahim has promised to have one of his best knights watch over you. You need to see your new kingdom, meet your new people before you get married."

"But father, I…"

"That is my decision, and it is final." He snaps back. "Now go to your room and get some rest. You have a busy day ahead of you."

I should have known better than to question my father, especially in front of king Ghirahim, but I felt he was handing me over like a piece of property, without even discussing it with me first. "Yes, father." I try to hide the hurt from my voice. Ghirahim takes my hand and kisses my knuckles lightly as I retreat to the other side of the balcony where my room is.

My door is opened for me by a servant who is standing nearby. As soon as I'm closed in, I run to my bed, collapsing in tears and fear of what my future might bring.


	2. Chapter 2

Impa wakes me the next morning at daybreak as she does any time we have business to attend to in the morning. I have every intention of dragging my feet as much as possible but my father, or maybe King Ghirahim, seems to have other plans. A pile of suitcases is stacked right outside my door, my things already packed before I can even put on my traveling gown.

As soon as I am dressed, I go looking for my father. I expect to find him in his meeting room, making final arrangements with Ghirahim, but instead, I find the two chatting in the library, sipping their morning tea.

Both men stand as I enter the room, both wearing broad smiles.

"Zelda, my darling. I have wonderful news." My father looks like he is about to bust. "King Ghirahim will be sending us two patrols of guards as soon as he returns home, and another four in a month when his new recruits are fully trained."

I smile politely as I turn to my future husband. "That is very generous of you your majesty. It will be a comfort to know my people are safe. And what of the food shortage?"

"Zelda!" My father looks furious. "We must have patience. One crisis at a time."

"I'm sorry father, but our people can't wait. They are already eating half of what a healthy population should eat. Surely King Ghirahim can spare food for his new people in exchange for his new wife's favor."

My father's face is beet red. Whether it be from embarrassment or anger, I'm unsure. I know I should not be speaking this way, but if I am to give up my life to this man, the least he can do is deliver on his promises before more lives are lost.

Ghirahim turns to me, wearing what appears to be a forced smile. "I would be happy to send food immediately. Had I know the need was so great, I would have offered it myself."

I bow my head in appreciation, not caring that I was improper. I got the result I wanted, and that is all that matters. "Thank you, your grace. Your willingness to help our people will go far in gaining my affections."

I allow him to kiss the back of my hand before dismissing myself. As I walk away, I hear my father apologize on my behalf, and Ghirahim consoles him, promising I will warm up to him quickly once settled into my new home.

* * *

I spend the next few hours in my room with Impa. I'm trying my hardest to keep myself together when she adds another nail to my coffin.

"I can't go with you princess."

My eyes widen in horror. "What do you mean? My father said last night…"

"What was spoken last night, and the treaty that was signed this morning, have little in common. King Ghirahim has decided you will be given new maidens from his court. They will take care of your every need."

"No! I don't need someone to take care of my every need. I need you! Impa, you are my best friend. I'm sure I never showed you the appropriate amount of appreciation that I should have. I never expected to have to say goodbye. You have done so much for me. You must come with me."

"I'm sorry princess, but King Ghirahim has forbidden it. He wants you to put your past behind you so you can completely embrace your future. Everything will be new and wondrous. You will make new friends and gain a new family."

I begin to shake my head as my eyes glaze over. Just as I'm about to lose all composure, a knock on my door pulls me out of my emotional breakdown.

"Enter," I say in the direction of the door.

One of the royal guards enters my room. "Your Highness, your coach is ready. Your bags have already been brought out, and King Ghirahim is waiting for you to say your final goodbyes to your father."

"Thank you." I nod. As soon as the guard has gone, I collapse into Impa's arms. "I will never forget you and everything you have done for my kingdom. Please, take care of my father for me." Tears run down my cheeks making dark spots in Impa's dress as she pats my hair. I hear her sniffle, and I know she is hurting just as much as I am. As much as I want to hold on to her forever, I know each second I cling to her side makes it that much harder to let go. So I do what a queen would do. I wipe my eyes before pulling myself away from her. I replace my pained expression with one of composure and look her in the eye. "I do this for my people. Make sure they know how much they mean to me."

Impa nods and wipes away her own tears as I head for the door.

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My father is waiting for me in his throne room, King Ghirahim by his side wearing a long coat. His smile greets me warmly, but I have nothing to reciprocate it with. I walk up to my father, expecting to lose control of my emotions again, but the tears don't come this time. Instead, anger has taken over space in my heart. I will miss my father, more than he could possibly imagine, but all I feel at the moment is resentment. I wonder if he tried to fight for me, for Impa, for our people. Or did he just agree to all of Ghirahim's terms without argument? Despite my hurt, I feel the sorrow seeping through as I kiss my father on the cheek and say farewell.

My father pulls me into a strong hug, as he whispers in my ear. "Only for our people do I let you go." His words are all it takes to start the tears rolling down my face again.

Ghirahim quickly grows tired of the emotional goodbye, and he pulls me out of my father's arms. "We are on a very tight schedule. If we are to reach the camp by sunset, we must leave now."

He holds my gloved wrist in his hand, tighter than he should as he drags me away. My tears continue long after we're outside the castle and surrounded by Ghirahim's guards.

There has to be three dozen of them escorting the caravan and to my surprise two separate coaches. Ghirahim walks to the stairs of the first, dropping my hand upon arrival, then leaves to get in the other without me. I don't know if I should feel relieved or surprised as I watch him climb into the larger of the two coaches. I blink hard as the door is closed behind him by one of his men.

Another of his guards comes to my side, offering me his hand as I step into my own carriage. I glance at him casually, to thank him with a polite smile, but of course, his face is covered with his faceplate. I can only see two piercing blue eyes looking back at me. Eyes that look as sad as I feel, or is it just my imagination? I am caught in this guards gaze for a few moments as he supports my weight, and I step up into the coach. One last tear trails down my cheek as he continues to stare into my eyes. That tear causes him to flinch as if it hurt him, but a moment later, he releases my hand and closes the door, almost as if he never saw it.

I watch him mount his horse. He looks back at me for a brief second before joining the group of guards leading the caravan.

I can think of nothing else but those blue eyes as we start to travel, and before long I drift off in a light sleep.

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 **I wonder who those blue eyes belong to. Hmmmm. Please consider leaving a review. Reviews are a huge inspiration and keep me wanting to update.**


	3. Chapter 3

I am awakened a short time later when the carriage comes to an abrupt halt. The guards escorting us are yelling back and forth up ahead, and I tilt my head toward the window to get a better view. Ghirahim's head is protruding from his own carriage as he speaks to one of the guards.

"Why did we stop?" He protests.

"There is a tree blocking the path up ahead your majesty. We will be on our way as soon as it's moved but Lord Corbin is concerned it may have been put there deliberately to set up an ambush."

Ghirahim's eyes widen. "You, take six other guards and surround the princess' carriage. I just got her in my possession; I'll be damned if I let someone take her from me an hour into our journey."

"Yes, your majesty." The mounted guard motions to several of his colleagues, and they immediately break away from the rest of the group and approach my carriage.

The one with the blue eyes is with them, and our eyes lock onto each other for a moment. I'm calmed by his intense stare. It is as if he is trying to talk to me. To tell me everything will be alright, and his eyes are so insistent, that I believe him.

I sit back against the plush seat and let out a long breath just as I hear metal clashing against metal. The sound is jarring. It pulls me back to the window so I can see what is going on. I gasp when I see the enormous monster now battling three guards up ahead. The creature is like nothing I have ever seen before outside of a book. It has a powerful body, covered in muscles, resembling the shape of a horse, but three times as large. The creature's head and torso are that of a man, with giant horns. Something I could only imagine seeing on the devil himself before now.

My heart rate speeds up as more guards join the battle, a battle they are loosing.

The blue-eyed guard's horse rears up. It looks like he is going to charge, but his commanding officer yells before he advances. "Hold your position. Our orders are to protect the princess."

I pull back into my seat. My entire body is shaking. I have heard of the many many dangers beyond our kingdom's walls, but never having left my territory, have never experienced the horror of facing one.

I hear more metal crashing and the groans of men being wounded, possibly even killed. I have never been so terrified, never felt this paralyzing fear course through my veins.

The beast roars loudly as one of the guard's swords strikes against his chest. He is injured in multiple places, but he's still coming closer. The guards have not yet been able to stall his advance, and I wonder for a moment if today is the day I die?

The horse pulling my carriage suddenly rears as an arrow flies past her head. Without warning she bolts, running at top speed perpendicular to the battle continuing up ahead. The carriage takes off with her, and I am thrown to the floor as we pick up speed.

Between the turbulence in my carriage, and my uncontrolled fear, I can't even pull myself back into the seat. The carriage moves faster and faster as I hear the horse whinny, and a moment later the wheels feel like they are no longer making contact with the ground.

I can only grab on to the luggage bars under my seat and hold on for dear life as I expect the carriage to tip over any second. Just as I suspected, it does, rolling over onto its side and then the roof before coming to a complete stop.

The sound of hooves pounding the ground continues until the horse is no longer within earshot, having disconnected itself from the carriage.

At some point, tears began to run down my cheeks, but I never felt them until I slowly pick up my head. I'm alone, with no idea how far away from the rest of the caravan I have traveled. I can't hear the battle going on anymore with the beast, so I know I must have been dragged quite a distance.

I roll over slowly, looking at my arms for any sign of injury. I am covered in scrapes and scratches, and a long gash travels halfway up my forearm, blood gushing from it, soaking through my shredded glove. My breathing is erratic, and my heart rate doesn't want to slow down. I hear more hooves approaching from the direction in which we came. I am either being rescued or captured by the beast.

The sound of two boots hitting the ground is a welcome sound, followed by running footfalls. And then the sound of leaves rustling quickly as a body falls to its belly in a sliding stop. A suit of chain mail armor appears right outside my window. His head lifts and those intense blue eyes stare back at me as his hand reaches through the window. Without saying a word, I know he is asking if I'm alright. I reach out and fold my silken gloved hand around his fingers as I exhale, a feeling of relief washing over me.

He squeezes my hand gently before letting it go and bringing himself back to his feet. The carriage rocks slightly as he yanks the door open and then reaches his arm in once again. I take his hand in mine as he gently pulls me free of the upside down carriage.

My whole body is still shaking. I'm sure he can feel how unsteady I am on my feet because he leads me over to a fallen tree and sits me down.

"Th…thank you." I somehow manage to say.

His eyes meet mine for a moment, and he nods, acknowledging my appreciation. He stands, and with a click of his tongue, his horse comes to his side. He flips open one of the saddlebags and pulls out a roll of bandages and some salve before returning. He sits beside me on the fallen tree, takes my injured arm in his hands and inspects the damage, though little can be seen with my glove in the way.

Then he does the unthinkable. His fingers pull at the fingertips of my glove, loosening it. "Don't." I protest. Doesn't he know that a princess' hands are not to be seen or touched by any man other than her husband? He ignores my warning and slips my tattered glove completely off my hand, not caring in the least that he has broken the law.

I pull my hand away quickly, tucking it behind my back as I suddenly feel exposed. But as I try to hide my bare hand, more blood gushes out of the gash, dripping red dots on my gown. This may be wrong, but if I don't let him attend to my wound, I could very well bleed to death.

His blue eyes lock on mine again as his hand rests on my shoulder, comforting me. His fingers walk down my arm until his hand cups my elbow, and he gently pulls my hand out of it's hiding place. My hand continues to shake as he applies the salve and then wraps my wrist up in the bandage. I can't watch. I can only close my eyes and try to pretend this doesn't feel as intimate as it does.

When he's finished, he stands and returns to his horse, replacing the medical supplies into the saddle bag.

I feel like I can't move. He says nothing as he attaches the reigns of his horse to the flipped carriage and gives the horse a quick slap on the rear. She jumps and takes several lunges forward, pulling the carriage back onto its wheels again.

He groans loudly as he kneels in front of the broken axle. Even I know it is not repairable, at least not out here in the middle of the forest. We'll have to leave it behind.

The guard reaches out his hand to me again, as I'm still sitting on the log. He's come to the same conclusion as I have and he wants to head back for the caravan.

I stand, but do not take his hand. I disappear back into my carriage and fish around in my bag for a fresh pair of gloves. After all, this man has done to help, I certainly don't want to get him in trouble.

When I emerge from the carriage, his eyes lock on mine, and he nods in understanding. "This will be our secret," I promise as I walk over to him.

I swear I see a hint of a smile spread to his eyes as his hands lock around my waist and he hoists me up onto his horse sitting side saddle. I already have so much respect and admiration for this man, and yet he still hasn't said a word to me.

He clicks his tongue twice, and his horse obediently starts to follow him, nuzzling her nose into his shoulder. He chuckles, sharing the moment with only his mare, then collecting the reigns. We head back in the direction we came from, following a trail of wheel marks and broken branches. I can only hope the rest of the guards were victorious against the giant beast when we get back.

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	4. Chapter 4

The guard leads his horse barely holding the reigns as I ride. We must have come several miles already, and there is still no sign of the caravan or even the distant sounds of a battle or conversation. I look down at the man leading the horse. Tufts of blond hair are peeking out from the bottom of his helmet, soaked with sweat from the afternoon heat. He must be getting tired of walking. I feel guilty that I've taken his horse while he trudges through the thick brush, but I know as my past experience as a royal, that he did what is expected of him.

"How much further do you think?" I ask, more out of curiosity than eagerness to return to Ghirahim.

He looks over his shoulder at me and shrugs before turning his attention back to the front.

I frown. "What is your name soldier?"

This time he doesn't turn his head or even acknowledge that I've spoken to him.

"A bit shy, are we?"

He continues his trek forward.

"You saved my life. I'd like to thank you properly, but I can't do that without your name."

Still no reply. I'm not sure if I should be concerned or offended. I have never had one of my guards ignore me like this, then again, he isn't one of my guards.

"Are you not allowed to speak to me? Is that it? It's alright. I won't tell anyone."

This time he stops and turns, bringing the horse to a stop as well. He looks up at me with those blue eyes from behind his faceplate. I can't see his mouth as the helmet hides everything but his eyes, but I swear I can recognize a smile based on the way his eyes narrow slightly and his gaze softens. It may not be words, but it is progress. I decide to try another approach, so I slide down off the side of the horse and set my hand on his upper arm. I know he couldn't possibly feel my touch through his chain mail tunic, but his eyes follow my hand and pause there. He just stares at my hand gently touching his arm, and I suddenly feel like I've done something wrong. I pull my hand back and meet his eyes with mine again.

"I'm sorry." I apologize, though I have no idea what for.

His eyes light up with another smile before they drop to his own gauntlet covered hands. He holds them out in front of him as he connects each of his index fingers with the tip of each thumb, creating a circle with each hand. He opens one circle, brings it to his other hand then closes it again, linking his fingers together like a chain. I watch his movements closely, but I don't understand its purpose. I can only copy the gesture in hopes he will give me some clue as to what he is trying to tell me.

He smiles from under his helmet, clearly amused that I imitated him. I'm about to ask him what it means when a loud yell pierces the silence around us catching our attention immediately.

"Your Highness, your Highness." Another guard comes scurrying over, nearly tripping as he reaches me. "I knew I'd find you."

The guard scoops me into his arms, carrying me like I am his new bride. I have to wrap one arm around the back of his neck as he begins running back in the opposite direction at a speed that leaves me wondering if he'll trip and fall on top of me.

"I found her, I found her," he yells out to the clearing up ahead, and I see several other armored men look over in our direction. A fraction of a second later we burst through the tree line back onto the main path.

King Ghirahim rushes over to meet us, a look of relief on his face. "I found your bride, your majesty." The guard who swept me away from my real rescuer boasts.

I'm taken aback by this man's gall. Does he really think I won't say anything? Does he really think I won't speak up to tell the king the truth?

Ghirahim looks thrilled, in a constipated kind of way, as he takes my hand in his own. "Excellent job Groose. You can put her down now." He then turns to me. "I am so relieved. I trust you are not injured, my dear?"

I look down at my hand, now folded in his. My wrist appears swollen under my glove where the bandage has been wound around my gash, but I can't say anything about it. "I'm fine your majesty."

Before I can say another word, Ghirahim interrupts me, though he's now addressing all the guards who have gathered around us. "Wonderful. Now can we get going? We need to reach the camp by nightfall, or we'll all end up Dodongo snacks." At that, he walks over to his carriage and climbs in.

As soon as the king is safely tucked away, the guards all dissipate, heading for their own horses, completely ignoring me. I'm not quite as spoiled as other royals I have met, but this is ridiculous. I walk over to Ghirahim carriage and fling the door open. In the most polite tone, I can currently muster I speak to my future husband. "What about me your majesty. My carriage and all my belongings are still back in the forest."

"Oh, don't worry about that. You can have anything you want once we get back to my castle."

Okay. New stuff, I suppose I can handle that but... "Am I to walk beside your guards for the remainder of the journey?"

"Of course not, my dear." He reaches out and cups my cheek in his palm. "You can ride with one of the guards."

At that, he pulls the door closed and signals his driver to advance. The carriage moves forward, just missing my toes with the back wheel.

My mouth falls open as I watch the carriage from the back. Almost all the other guards are mounted and ride past me without a second glance? _Am I really about to get left behind?_

My true rescuer finally breaks through the tree line, leading his horse at a leisurely pace. He sure took his time getting back. He comes over and looks at me as if he already knows what happened. I open my mouth to speak as he suddenly mounts his own horse and adjusts his helmet. His head tilts to the side twice as he signals for me to climb onto the back of his horse.

I don't mind riding, in fact, I love riding and make it a habit to do it as often as my schedule will allow. That is not what I am upset about. And I'm certainly not upset with my blue-eyed rescuer, but the king is going to get a taste of my sharp tongue the next time we stop.

I slowly approach the horse, letting her sniff my palm before I gently rub her nose. She seems to like me right away as she takes a step forward and lets out a snort in my hair. I laugh as her breath tickles my neck. Her rider reaches his hand down as I reach up. We grasp on to each other's arms, locking them together as he pulls me up to sit behind him. As soon as I'm comfortably seated, his hand finds mine as he pulls it around his waist till it rests on his stomach. I place my other hand on his other side, gently holding on as he clicks his tongue and the horse lurches forward to join up with the rest of the guards.

I don't realize I do it, but I pull my body in closer to him, nearly attached now as we pass the unmoving carcass of the beast that had caused this whole fiasco. I stare at the creatures lifeless eyes, half expecting it to jump up and reach out for us as soon as we are at the closest point to it, which is only about ten feet since the creature was slain just off the path.

I feel my rescuer's hand over mine, gently patting it, trying to comfort me as we ride past the dead lynel.

* * *

We ride for another four or so hours before we arrive at a small enclosed camp just off the road. Traveling at night is too dangerous in these parts, and there are camps like this set up along all of the main roads, tucked away into little inlets that are protected on all sides. Once the gates are closed behind us, we should be safe for the night. At least that is what I am led to believe.

I do love riding, but I am not used to being a passenger for four hours. My legs and torso hurt from the consistent position I'd been in. My riding companion offers me his arm for support as I slide off his horse. My legs don't want to hold me up when I reach the ground, and I immediately fall back on my rear. The horse lets out a loud snort before pawing at the ground in front of her.

"Well, I'm glad one of us thought that was funny." I didn't really mean for my words to be heard, but the blue-eyed guard lets out a laugh anyway as he dismounts. He offers me his hand again, helping me to my feet. I brush off my gown now covered in dirt and horse hair. I'm thirsty, hot and tired. I certainly don't feel like a princess right now, but I can't say I hate the feeling. Though that is not going to save King Ghirahim from my wrath.

As soon as the king emerges from his carriage, he stretches his arms out over his head and yawns. He must have been quite comfortable all alone in his spacious carriage. I march straight over to him to give him a piece of my mind. When I reach him, I immediately point my finger only inches from his face as I go off. "You call yourself a king? Never have I been treated with so much disresp…"

His hand extends out toward my face, and a hard slap brought me to the ground. I sat in the dirt stunned for a moment, not believing that he'd struck me but the proof still stinging my cheek.

Several of Ghirahim's men approached me, offering me a hand to help me up, but the king gave me a sneer. "Don't help her. Nobody goes near her. She will learn the consequences of speaking to me like that."

I felt tears well up in my eyes, though I fought hard to keep them at bay. I had never been hit before. It wasn't even that painful, it was the shock and humiliation that summoned the tears more than anything else. Is this a sign of what's to come?

"Now get back to work," Ghirahim yells at his men before turning back to me. "And you. If you ever speak to me like that again, I'll have your tongue removed." He storms away toward several guards who are already putting up tents.

The onlookers slowly walk away, none saying anything to me. Once the circle has cleared out, I can see the blue-eyed guard, still standing where I'd left him. His eyes meet mine briefly as he hangs his head and leads his horse over to where all the others are being kept.

* * *

I manage to pull myself off the ground and find a private tree where I sink to the ground amongst its protruding roots. I let a few tears fall but wipe them away quickly as I stare at the horizon, watching the sun sink down behind the mountains in the distance. I'm left alone with my thoughts, as everyone has been ordered to stay away from me and from the response from his men, the king's orders are not something to be questioned. He is clearly not the same kind of ruler as my father, who welcomes the input of his people.

All around the enclosed space, tents have been set up. A massive fire is roaring in the middle of the camp and dinner is being prepared by several of the guards. Some big animal is on a spigot over the fire, and a single man is cranking the thing continually as he yawns.

Everyone is busy doing something, and I can't help but wonder what my rescuer is doing. I haven't seen him in about two hours since my humiliating lesson from the king.

The longer the food cooks, the better it starts to smell, and I feel my stomach growl as I watch the guards all lining up to claim their portion. I dig the toe of my boot into the dirt. Ghirahim is there, and I am too stubborn to go over and apologize, though I know I should. I should never have spoken to him like that. No matter how angry I was, he is still the king, and I am a lowly nothing for now. None of my people are here, no one to stand up for me or remind Ghirahim of my royal bloodlines. I am nothing out here until he says I am his wife, and even then, I will be expected to know my place.

I sigh just as I hear a twig snap behind me. A face in the shadows startles me. I'm about to scream when a man approaches me quickly, holding a thick log. Before I can get the noise out of my mouth, his hand is covering it, and he is hushing me quietly. Only when he steps closer can I get a look at his face. He looks just as startled as I am as he crouches down beside me. It's hard to make out his features in the dark with only the distant fire glow for light, but there is something familiar about him. His eyes. They look black in this low light, but they are so expressive. Though I'd only seen him with his helmet on before, I easily recognize the one man who has helped me.

"It's you," I whisper. "You shouldn't be over here. I don't want to get you in trouble.

His face lightens in a smile as he moves the log he is holding to reveal a plate of food hidden underneath.

I smile sincerely, but my stubbornness kicks in. If Ghirahim sees me eating he will know someone broke his order to stay away from me. "I'm not hungry," I say to him. My stomach chooses this moment to let out another loud gurgle.

He frowns tilting his head, as if to ask me, _really? You really think I believe that?_

"King Ghirahim will know someone gave it to me. I don't want to risk you getting into trouble."

The man, who actually looks more like a boy without his armor on, gives me a shrug.

"Well, I do care."

At that, he places the food by my feet and walks away in the shadows. I sigh. It would be foolish to waste it, and with this many guards, how could the king possibly know who gave it to me? I decide to take the chance since my friend went through the trouble and risk to get it for me. I pick up the plate and turn my back to the fire and Ghirahim sitting only thirty feet away.

When I'm finished, I turn back around, and nothing seems to have changed. Almost all the guards are sitting around the fire holding plates of food and drinking from metal cups. Ghirahim is deep in conversation with one of the highly decorated guards, and I hear him let out a frightening cackle of a laugh. I wonder if he has even glanced over here this whole time. Beyond the fire, I see a lone guard leaning against a tree. In the glow of the fire, I can see his shoulder-length blond hair, and he is staring at me.

I feel my cheeks redden by his unmoving eyes on me and I'm grateful for the darkness. Then something hits me. All the other guards are eating, but he is not. A pain of guilt shoots through me as I realize he didn't just risk bringing me food but sacrificed his meal for me.

I can't let this happen again. I have to swallow my pride and apologize to King Ghirahim.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you for the feedback. It looks like many of you want Link to stay silent and an equal amount of you want him to speak. So I have come up with a plan to hopefully please everyone. Enjoy.**

I really didn't feel ready to apologize to the king of jerks, but if I did, perhaps I can ask for some food and get it back to my new friend. I close my eyes, swallow my pride and stand. The first few steps are the hardest. Ghirahim sees me through the corner of his eye and watches me walk toward him. A huge grin crosses his face as he knows he's won the stalemate.

When I reach him, I join my hands together and stare at the ground, building up the courage to be polite instead of saying what is actually on my mind. "Your majesty," I begin.

"Yes Princess Zelda. What can I do for you?" He acts like he doesn't know why I'm there, angering me even further.

I have to remember the boy's generosity. He is a soldier. He is going hungry so i can eat, but the demand on his body will be greater than that of mine. He needs it more than I do. If I had known before I'd eaten it, I wouldn't have. Maybe he would have eventually given up and come back to claim his dinner.

"Your majesty, I am so very sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier. I was just soar and cranky from the long ride. It will never happen again."

"Yes, I know how sorry you are. Come closer my dear." The side of Ghirahim's mouth turns up in an evil grin. When I come closer he takes my hand gently, before his eyes grow wide and angry. "Now, kneel before your king."

I let out a shaky breath and do as he asks, bowing my head in submission.

"Now, kiss my boot." He sticks one leg out, kicking me slightly in the ribs as he does it.

I am about to lose it. I can't become the wife of a man like this, but where else can I go? What other options do I have? My father would be furious if King Ghirahim decides he won't have me. So for the sake of my kingdom, I kneel down in the mud and kiss his boot.

The king looks down at me and laughs before turning to his diner companion. "And that Lord Corbin, is how you train your whore."

I sit back up on my heels, unable to look at his face. I hate this man. I honesty can say I have never hated anything as much as I do this man right now. And in two weeks, I'll be married to him.

Ghirahim puts his hand gently on my shoulder, "Go get yourself some dinner. I'll have some of my men put up a tent for you so you will have some place to sleep."

I bow my head again before standing and walking away. I rub at the mud stains on my dress where I'd knelt. It only smudges the mark further.

"Your Majesty, perhaps that was not…" Lord Corbin began.

Ghirahim laughs again, "Oh, why not."

"Well, sir, now she looks like she just…:

The king lets out another of his cackles. "I know. Aren't I a lucky bastard."

I can hear them talking and I am well aware of how I now look. What makes it worse is that I have no clothes to change into. I will have to stay like this until we reach Ghirahim's castle.

I can still hear their conversation even as I speak to the guard handing out food. He smiles at me politely before handing me a full plate. I then pick up a cup of water and slowly start walking away from the fire, trying hard not to look like I am searching for someone specific.

I find it quite amazing how polite most of Ghirahim's men are in comparison to him. It makes me wonder how this man could be in charge of such a regal army.

My train of thought is broken when I absentmindedly walk right into the man I've been searching for and to my surprise, he doesn't look pleased with me. His face is expressionless and his eyes are cold. I smile at him anyway, hoping I'm not the reason for his sour mood, but it makes no difference.

"I brought _you_ some food this time," I whisper, checking to make sure no one can hear us.

He frowns before snatching the plate out of my hand and turning his back on me.

"Did I do something wrong?" I can't understand his sudden hostility. He begins to walk away and I quickly followed after him. We end up by the horse coral where he once again clicks his tongue to summon his horse. The mare immediately puts her head over his shoulder as he reaches into her mane to give her a good pat. Then he feeds the horse the pile of carrots from his plate. He turns back to face me and immediately sits on the ground beside the wooden fence separating him from his horse. I lower myself down beside him, hoping he will finally talk to me, but he doesn't. Instead he looks up, watching the stars above us.

"Are you upset with me?" I try again.

He looks back down at his plate and brings the small loaf of bread to his mouth, avoiding making eye contact with me while he chews.

"Well, I don't know how to fix what I did to upset you. Not unless you tell me what you're angry about."

He shrugs his shoulders and waves his hand to the side, as if dismissing the subject.

" I really wish you would just talk to me. I'm not a mind reader you know."

The boy sighs heavily, then shakes his head. He seems just as frustrated with me as I am with him and I don't know what to do.

"The others all talk to me, and they are quite polite when they do. Is it that you just don't want to talk to me?" That question just angers him more. His arms flly up in the air in frustration, pulling some of the food off his plate to land in a convenient lump at his horse's feet. We both watched as the horse gobbled down a lump of potatoes, and then he laughs, petting her nose through the fence.

I decide to try a new approach while he is happy again. I mimick the hand gesture that he'd done earlier, right before Ghirahim's men found us. "This. What is this that you showed me?"

He smiles, looking into my eyes again and then points at his chest. Then he makes the gesture with his own hands again.

I close my eyes slowly. I am losing my patience. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

His fingers slide into his hair as he raked them through to the back. It is longer than I thought at first, as most of the length had been tied back with a strip of leather.

We are getting nowhere, and I am about ready to give up when he flips his wrist over and taps it with two fingers. I repeated the gesture to find myself tapping right above the gash in my arm. My eyes lite up. "My wound?"

He smiles slightly and nods his head, next he uses his fingers and spins them around his hand, as if wrapping his hand in invisible string.

"The bandage?" I look down at my wrist, and sure enough, blood has started to seep through my white glove.

"Shit!"

He pulls his head back suddenly, surprised by my language. I find this quite funny. " What's the matter? Haven't you ever heard a princess curse before?"

He smiles bigger than I've seen him smile before, bringing a look of boyish innocence to his face before holding his hand out to me. I'm not sure why, but every other time he's held his hand out to me, I'd take it and he would help me, so I decided to do it again.

He takes my hand and we both bring ourselves to our feet together. He leads my to the outside circle of tents before disappearing into one of them and pulls me in with him.

There is very little inside other than a sleeping roll, a lantern and a small wash bin. I sit down on the ground as he lights the lantern. He reaches out for my hand again. I place my gloved hand in his and he once again pulls my glove off. I'm not quite as nervous this time and I watch him unwrap the blood soaked gauze. He pulls the long strip off and discards it to the side before pushing my hand into the basin of water. With his long fingers wrapped around my wrist, he flicks at the wound gently with his thumb, loosening up the thin crust that collected on it. We hadn't been able to clean it properly before and infection is a possibility if he just re-wraps it again.

He doesn't have any soap but after my hand has soaked for a moment he cradles my wrist back in his hand and lifts it out of the water. It looks better already, though it still stings a lot. Next he digs into a bag that sits next to his sleep roll and pulls out more salve and a fresh roll of gauze. He re-wraps my wound and smiles up at me when he is done. I am about to slide my glove back on when he coveres my hand with his to stop me. His fingertips on my hand felt nice, but that doesn't make it alright to leave my hand bare. He's cleaned and wrapped the wound quite professionally, but now I need to cover it back up.

He points at my bloody glove with his other hand, and against my better judgement, I hand it to him. He pushes it down into the water basin and begins rubbing the fabric together against his knuckles. Within a few moments, the red blood is gone, replaced only with a light pink smudge. He is grinning when he hands the glove back. Sure, it is soaking wet, but it is a lot less likely to draw attention now. "Thank you." I wring the glove out, squeezing out at much water as I can before pushing my hand back in. It feels very strange to be wearing a wet glove, but if I don't want this man to get caught, I have to just put up with it.

I think he is done, but then he points at the muddy knee marks on my skirt. "Oh, no. As much as I'd like to be in a clean clothes, I'm not taking off my dress."

He just smiles sheepishly and shrugs. It brings a smile to my face. He is so young to know how to do these things. I guess the military will do that to you.

He can't be much older than I am. I feel bad for him and all like him that have to put there life on the line at such an early age. It makes me wonder how many young soldiers actually make it to there thirties.

We suddenly hear voices outside the tent. One man is asking if anyone has seen the princess and several others answer back with a negative reply.

"I guess that means I should be going." My blue eyed friend smiles and nods, pointing to the back of the tent. Of course I can't leave through the front. If I am noticed leaving his tent, it will not look good for either of us, so I slip under the canvas in the back and try to look calm.

When the guard finds me, he does a double take. "There you are your highness." It is the same guard that had taken credit for my rescue and I frowned at him.

"Where you looking for me?" I ask coldly.

"Yes your highness. Your tent is all set up. It's the one to the right of the king's."

I look over to where he is pointing. One tent, about the size of four of the smaller ones, is straight ahead, a lantern already lit inside, but there are also shadows inside. That can't be my tent, it must be King Ghirahim's. Which means mine is the very next. I walk over and sigh as I realize my tent is the same size as all the others. Ghirahim sure isn't wasting any time making me feel unworthy. I walk through my tent entrance, unroll my bedding and plop myself down for a good night's rest.

 **Please follow and review if I am keeping you entertained. Reviews make me want to update more often.**


	6. Chapter 6

I can hear King Ghirahim and Lord Corbin talking in the next tent, though I can't make out all of the words. I hear my name come up several times and it makes me nervous. The more time I spend with this man, the more I want to just run away. How easy it would be to just slip away during the night. I can easily get to the nearest village in a single day's travel. Then I could make a new life and move far far away so my father would never have to face what a disappointment I am. But that won't help the people of Hyrule.

It is so unfair being royalty. So many think it's an easy life, getting waited on hand a foot, telling everyone else what to do. I would trade it all in a heartbeat in exchange for the ability to choose my own husband, or at least to not have so many lives tied to my own. I wouldn't wish this life on my worst enemy. Though, as of right now, my worst enemy is my soon to be husband.

Every time I think about this, I feel tears trying to take over. My emotions get out of control. All I feel is sadness, anger and fear. The thought of dying scares me less than a life at Ghirahim side. If only my father knew what kind of man Ghirahim really was, he never would have made this agreement.

Not that it matters now. My fate has already been sealed. I remember Impa's words to me before I left. Accepting my new life would make it easier than fighting it. She is right. Both Ghirahim and my father could both give me a way out, at the expense of the people of Hyrule, but no matter how badly I want to run, I won't for their sake, for their safety.

I wipe the tears streaming down my face and close my eyes. Perhaps a new day will bring a better perspective of my situation. I close my eyes and fall asleep listing to my new king's muffled voice in the next tent.

 **###**

Ghirahim takes a long sip from his wine glass, studying his most trusted knight's face. "What is bothering you so much? You haven't even touched your wine."

"It's the Princess your Majesty."

"What about the princess?"

"You had me searching for her for months. I had some of my best researches looking through volumes of text to trace her bloodline back to the Goddess Hylia. And yet, now that you have her in your position, you are treating her like something to be scraped off the sole of your boot."

Ghirahim laughs. "Were you under the impression that I wanted to marry this princess? You know I have no desire for such things. She is nothing but a nuisance that I have to put up with for now."

"Alright. I understand that. But are you not afraid she will try to run away, or worse, try to take her own life?"

"Am I really that bad that a woman would end her life before becoming my queen?"

"Not to me, your majesty. But you haven't exactly given her a good first impression. If she feels her life is tragic enough, I would not be surprised in the least if she attempted one situation or another."

Ghirahim ponders this for a moment before looking back up at Corbin. "So, you are saying I should give her a good life? At least until her usefulness has expired?"

"If she dies, before giving you an heir, then all of this will have been for nothing. You and I both know she would not live through a single night if she tried to run away, and obviously suicide is just as bad."

"Hmm, perhaps you are on to something. You do certainly know more about women than I. What else? What can I do to make her want to stay?"

"Your majesty, I am no expert on women. What I can tell you is she needs to feel like she still has something to live for. She needs to feel safe in her new home. She must have some amount of freedom or she will try to run back to her father, and she has to be somewhat content with her life."

Ghirahim grimaces. "How am I supposed to do that? If I give her some freedom, nothing is stopping her from trying to leave. If I don't, she will definitely try to leave? Gods, why do they have to be so complicated?"

"It doesn't have to be complicated. She will need some handmaidens to befriend and she will need a protector so she can wander around the kingdom without feeling like a prisoner. Give her anything material that she wants. Trust me your majesty. She will be happy with that. Women are very predictable and there is no problem that can't be solved with jewelry."

"Well, that is something I have plenty of."

Corbin chuckls. "Yes your majesty."

"And I was going to assign her one of my guards anyway, to keep her out of my business and keep anyone from attempting to abduct her." Ghirahim strokes his chin, deep in thought. "But who can I spare? My best men are all needed to for my protection." The king looks up, meeting Corbin's eyes. He trusted Corbin. They had been friend for several decades. Not a single other guard was completely trusted by the throne, but Lord Corbin was. "You work closely with the guards. Who do you recommend?"

"Well, other than your protectors, Groose is an excellent soldier. He handles himself well in battle and has won several awards for his exceptional service."

Ghirahim sneers. "No. I won't leave him alone with my future bride. He has too much of a reputation with the ladies. I don't need her developing feelings for someone else. I don't see the appeal, but women seem to love him."

"Yes your majesty. I hadn't thought of that. The princess is one of the most beautiful women in the land. The temptation may be too great since they will spend so much time together."

"Who else then?"

"Well, the next person that comes to mind is Link."

"Link, Link. Who the hell is Link?"

"The one who doesn't speak your majesty."

"The damned mute boy?"

"He may not look like much, but he is an excellent swordsman and loyal to a fault. Never once have I had to reprimand him for anything."

The king's eyebrows rise. "Yes. This sounds promising. If he can't speak then he can't tell her anything she doesn't need to know. Plus, after spending so much time with him, she will be dying just for a normal conversation with me."

"Absolutely your majesty."

"Alright. I have decided. Promote Link to the royal guard and assign him as the princess' personal guard. Make sure he understands how important she is. If she dies, so does he."

"I'm sure you will be pleased with this decision your majesty." Corbin bows to his king, then turns on his heal to make the arrangements. But before he leaves he turns back to his friend. "And for Goddess sake Eugene, let her ride in the damned coach with you this time."

Ghirahim opens his mouth to protest, but he knows his friend is right. "Oh, so be it."

Lord Corbin smiles before pushing past the curtain to leave the king's tent.

I thought I was prepared for the next day. I was completely wrong. The morning is chilly, but it is the sounds of the guards around me that wake me up. I step out of my tent, looking around as the guards are taking down the tents and packing up the wagons. Ghirahim approaches me immediately, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips gently. "Did you sleep well Princess?"

"As well as can be expected." I reply coldly, still hating the man in front of me but trying to accept his role in my future.

"I'm very pleased to hear that. Will you join me for breakfast? We have much to discuss."

"Oh course your majesty." I bow my head, wondering why he is being so polite this morning.

He gently leads me over to a long table, almost completely covered in colorful fruits, nuts and pastries. The food hadn't looked like it had been touched. "I wanted you to eat first my dear."

"Oh!" This is a surprise. "But your men, they must be famished from working such long hours."

"They can wait a few more minutes for their future queen to get her fill." He hands me a plate and begins piling food on it. "These are excellent. You must try one. And these are so ripe, they practically melt in your mouth."

"Thank you your majesty." I pull my plate away before he can add more that I know I won't be able to finish.

He walks me over to a large canvas lying on the ground and he motions for me to sit with him as he drinks a cup of tea. "It is a beautiful morning, don't you think Princess? "

"It is indeed your majesty." I lift the delicate pastry to my mouth as I watch the guards in the distance pushing the heavy wooden gate open.

"I would be honored if you would join me in the royal coach for the remainder of the trip."

His words almost don't register. Is this the same man I'd hated the night before? His new persona is almost… likeable. "Of course your majesty. I would be honored to share your carriage."

From the corner of my eye, I can see someone approaching, and Ghirahim stands as he gets closer, taking my hand to join him in an upright position. "I have someone I'd like you to meet."

As I turn from Ghirahim, to see who is approaching, I am surprised to see the same blue eyed guard who has helped me on several occasions before. He is wearing his same suit of chain mail armor as before, his helmet tucked under one arm, but this time also wears the black tunic with the golden diamond pattern of Ghirahim's royal guard. When he reaches us, he immediately goes down on one knee, crossing his arm over his chest in the sign of complete submission.

Ghirahim grins at the boy, then back at me. "This is Link. He will be your personal guard. He will keep you safe and out of harm's way. You are not to go anywhere without him. Only the best for my future queen."

I'm a bit shocked. Is Link really one of the best or is he just trying to appease me? If he was, then why did he not wear the royal guard uniform before? "Thank you your majesty. I feel much safer now knowing one of your best men is watching out for me."

Ghirahim looks to be quite proud of himself. "I'm afraid he's not much of a conversationalist, but idle chit chat is not part of the job anyway. I'll leave the two of you to get acquainted. "At that he lets out a little giggle and heads back toward the breakfast table.

After the king is beyond my line of vision, I set my hand on Link's shoulder. "You may rise."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, his eyes make contact with mine and stay locked on them as he pulls himself to his full height. "Did you know about this?"

He gently shakes his head but his face doesn't change.

"So, you were promoted?"

This time he nods.

"Well, you deserve it. I am happy for you." I make the connected loops with my fingers, finally understanding the meaning. "Link."

He smiles at me then plops his helmet over his head and bows again.


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as everyone has eaten and finished packing up the camp, we get ready to embark on the next leg of our journey. Link takes my hand, again assisting me into the carriage but his expression is that of disappointment. I can't help but wonder if he expected I'd be riding with him again and though the thought brings a flutter to my stomach, I'm relieved to be back in the carriage since we will be traveling for a good ten hours straight today. I don't think I'd be able to ride for that long.

I take a seat in the luxurious carriage and a few moments later, Ghirahim joins me. He forces a smile in my direction before adjusting the pillows on his side and taking a seat.

I look out the window as the caravan begins to move forward, and wait for Ghirahim to start talking to me. It's such a small space, it would be awkward to not speak. But he doesn't. He makes himself comfortable in his seat and then just stares at me expectantly. The silence between us is uncomfortable so I find myself speaking first.

"Thank you so much your majesty for allowing me to ride with you."

He looks at me, and frowns but quickly replaces it with a forced smile. "It is the least I can do for you. I am sorry I didn't allow it sooner but I wasn't feeling quite myself and didn't want you to catch my illness."

I didn't believe this for a second, but just the fact that he is trying to apologize is something to be grateful for. "I appreciate your consideration your majesty. I trust you are feeling better today?"

"Yes, quite. But just to be safe, I am going to try to sleep during the journey." He doesn't say another word but closes his eyes and leans back in his seat.

I am relieved knowing I won't have to talk with him the entire ride. I lean back in my own seat and watch the scenery go by.

The journey feels like it takes forever. We do stop on two occasions for a quick meal but all too soon we are back on the path toward Ghirahim's territory and despite the arrival of the dark, we continue forward. I've learned not to question the king's orders, but a sense of dread has settled into the pit of my stomach.

I can hear the guards up ahead as they talk amongst themselves. One says we shouldn't be on the road in the dark. Another mention that this path is prime moblin territory and we will be lucky to get through unnoticed. Still a third wonders if the king is even aware of the amount of danger we are in.

I know I may not like his response, but I feel it my duty to voice my concerns and those of the guards. "Your men don't think it's safe to continue traveling this late in the evening. Shouldn't we stop and make camp?"

Ghirahim yawns. "We are only two hours from my border. I hate sleeping in those damned tents, so we are just going to continue. I have complete faith in my men to deliver us safety."

"But at what cost? Are you not worried about the lives of your men?"

"I can always find more. It is not something you should be concerned about."

I know I should hold my tongue, but Ghirahim's blatant disregard for the lives he is in control of angers me to my core.

I can't help but think about Link, riding out in the front, possibly into danger. He is most likely just a number to Ghirahim but he is more to me. My train of thought twists with this revelation. It is not like me to make friends easily, and I have never had a suiter that kept my attention for more than a few short minutes. Try as I may, I can't seem to come up with a word that describes what I feel toward my new protector.

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud throaty snore. To my surprise, Ghirahim is asleep again. I wish I could strangle him. It would solve so many problems. For a brief moment I entertain the idea of being in command of Ghirahim's men. Having them all follow my lead because their precious king died in his sleep. Surely they would bow to me being the princess of Hyrule.

An evil giggle escapes my lips just as a burning arrow penetrates the canvas roof of the carriage. It embeds itself into the wooden floor as the fire quickly spreads.

Outside I hear men yell that we are under attack and to secure the king.

A fraction of a moment later, a huge hand slams through the side of the carriage. Ghirahim wakes immediately and lets out a yelp as the hand closes around his neck and pulls him from the carriage. I can only watch in terror as the beast shakes him and growls.

The door on the opposite side of the carriage swings open and Link reaches his hand in, grabs me by the arm and yanks me out. I fall against him but regain my footing as we begin to run in the absolute darkness.

I can't see anything and running in this blackness feels like suicide. "Where are all the lanterns?" I scream as we run, but Link slows by one step to run by my side. He places his hand over my mouth as we continue to run even deeper into the forest.

Once he is confident that I will stay quiet. He releases my mouth and runs faster again, pulling me with him as we go. I run as fast as I can, just barely able to keep up with him when he finally falls to the ground, pulling me with him. I land on top of him but his body quickly rolls us over so he is once again on top. His hand covers my mouth again as we both listen hard for the sound of anything chasing us. To my relief, the only sound I can hear is our heavy breathing and the sound of crickets as they begin to continue their song.

Link pulls his hand off my mouth, eyes wide and scanning our surroundings. His body already back up on his toes and hands, completely shielding me from any danger from above. He's ready to pounce back into action if needed. His head whips in every direction, searching for any sign of additional danger. Once he feels we are safe enough, his eyes lock onto mine. They demand an answer from me, and I easily figure out what his question is.

"I'm alright." My body is shaking and he looks at me like he doesn't believe my last statement.

"Just startled," I reassure him. "What do we do now?" I whisper, not expecting a reply. For the moment, I am happy to be down in the tall grass and unmoving. I don't know if I could move if I wanted to my body is so fatigued.

Link finally brings himself to a sitting position but keeps his palm flat facing me. He doesn't want me to move. I nod as he stands. A metallic ring pierces the silence as he pulls his sword from its sheath and before I have a chance to react he is swinging it at something to his right. I hear the metal connect with flesh and I squeeze my eyes shut, fear paralyzing me again. The sword hits another source of metal several times before I hear him roar in either pain or victory. The sword cuts through the air one more time and I hear a body collapse.

My heart beat is loud in my ears, and despite my fear, I sit up, needing to know if it is Link's body that fell to the ground. To my relief, I make out the shape of his silhouette in the darkness as he reaches his hand out to me again. I take his hand in mine as a feeling or relief washes over me, but I am unable to determine if it is my own safety or that of my guard that has me feeling this relief. I let out a long breath as he squeezes my hand. He keeps it secured in his while he pulls me back in the direction we came. His eyes constantly scan our surroundings, his sword in one hand and my hand in his other.

I am in awe by this man. He has the reflexes of a cat, and the bravery of no man I have ever met before. What he doesn't have is night vision, and he knows as well as I that we could easily get even more lost trying to travel in the dark. He pulls me toward a thick tree where the trunk has split off into two thick branches. He points up, and I understand immediately. I gather the extra length of my gown in my hand and start to climb the tree. He is close behind me as we make our way up higher into the safety of the thick canopy. I find a spot that the branches are thick enough where I can lean against them without falling backwards and Link finds a similar spot a row below me. He looks up at me, gives me a little smile and closes his eyes. I guess this is where we are spending the night.

I can't imagine ever being able to sleep out here like this. Not only is it extremely uncomfortable, but I feel like shadows are lurking behind every branch, ready to launch themselves at us. My breathing is uneven, and Link can tell I'm afraid. He stirs below me and pulls himself up to sit on the same branch beside me.

"Shhh." His hand closes around mine, calming me in a way I didn't think possible. He keeps his hand wrapped around my gloved fingers until we both let sleep find us.

My eyes fly open, what feels like only minutes later. The sun is starting to peak up over the distant mountains, and chirping birds surround us. Link opens his eyes as soon as I slip my hand out of his and I feel guilty for waking him.

Our world is so strange. With nightfall comes so many dangers, but the daylight brings a safe paradise for us to walk through and even enjoy. Link stats to climb down the tree, pointing to places for me to safely place my feet, but he stops about half way down. I watch his confident hands reach out toward a thinner branch that is loaded with fruit while I continue south. I sigh a breath of relieve once my feet are once again on solid ground.

Link stays up in the tree, picking the plump yellow fruits and letting them fall at my feet before he finishes the climb down. I collect the fruit in my skirt and sit, leaning against the tree for support. I offer him one of the fresh pairs once he joins me, and he accepts it with a smile.

I know he won't reply, but I feel like something needs to be said between the two of us, so I begin to speak. "Thank you Link, for everything you did last night. I must admit, I had no idea if the king had indeed given me one of his best men or not. But you proved your worth. You saved my life. I won't doubt you again."

Link's cheeks brightened in a pink tint and a small smile crossed his lips. It was s smile I enjoyed very much, and I made a mental note to try to make him smile as often as possible.

"So I guess you're stuck with me now. I'm sure the king didn't give you a choice to accept the assignment or not, But I am thankful that he chose you."

Link only nods.

"You understand this means we are going to be spending a lot of time together."

This time my protector hums in agreement.

"If that's the case, we need to find a way to communicate to each other better."

His eyes flicker over to meet mine, his pear suddenly forgotten.

"Link, can you read and write?"

A scowl alters his expression, and I swear he looks embarrassed.

"I can teach you if you like."

He nods, then turns again to his breakfast.

"That will take some time though. We need something else for right away. I think yes and no are pretty obvious. Maybe we could come up with some other hand signals for some other words. You know, just like you did with your name." I link my fingers together like he showed me before and he laughs.

"I don't know why you're laughing. It is actually quite ingenious. We can come up with our own way to communicate."

Link's smile widens as he tossed the remnants of his pear over his shoulder and grabs another from my lap.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I have been really bad about editing this story. I am sorry if these errors are distracting, but this story has just been flowing out of me and I don't want to to lose my momentum. I hope you don't mind.**

 **I would like to apologize to those of you have been worried sick about the fate of King Ghirahim. I did not mean to cause any sleepless nights. lol**

Ghirahim's eyes flicker open as he brings his hand up, shielding his eyes from the bright light. "What the hell is that? Get it out of my face!"

"Lie still your majesty. You are badly injured." The tone of Lord Corbin's voice, solemn and exhausted, is not a welcome sound.

"Fine, but turn off that damned light."

"That damned light is the sun Eugene."

"What? But it was still dark. How long have I been out?"

"Nearly six hours your majesty." Corbin shifts under Ghirahim, making him aware his head is resting in his friend's lap. "We were attacked by a beast. Something I have never encountered before, or even heard tales of. He was only interested in you, but many of our men were killed trying to protect you."

Ghirahim slowly sat up, eyes widening. "The princess?"

"She's gone. We don't know where she is but we are hopeful that her guard brought her to safety somewhere since there is no sign of him either." Corbin twisted his body, retrieving a small bottle from his side. "Here, drink this."

Ghirahim scowled. "You know I can't stand those damned elixirs."

"Perhaps you would prefer to bleed to death."

The king growled, but snatches the bottle from his friend's hand, downing the red contents in one pull. "We have to find the princess."

"No your majesty, we need to get you some medical attention. I sent two men out ahead to the castle to bring back a healer, but we should head in that direction as well. Once you are well, we will send search parties out to look for the princess. Honestly, I'm not too worried. I know Link well. Knowing him, he had her tucked away some place safe for the night and will be heading for the castle at dawn." Corbin looks down at his king's hand, still wrapped in his own. "Please Eugene. I thought I'd lost you. I'd never be able to…"

"I know." Ghirahim pats his hand gently before pulling it away from his personal guard. "I trust you. If you think she is fine with Link, then I will concentrate on my own health for now. Let's get going. We are only a few hours away from the castle."

 **###**

Link and I walk slowly toward the sun, though he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. I can't help but think he expects the worst after last night's attack. Are his king and his friends all dead? As much as I dislike the king, I know Link is loyal to him and will not take the loss well.

"Do you have any idea what it was that attacked us last night?"

Link looks back at me and shrugs.

"Whatever it was, it was massive. It looked like it was made of stone."

Link nods but keeps his pace steadily moving forward. When he suddenly stops, he puts his palm out flat facing me, one of the hand gestures we discussed signaling me to stop.

I freeze in my tracks, not wanting to face another monster. To my relief, the silence reveals to me what Link heard first. The sound of rushing water. His face lights up as he reaches for my hand and we run toward the sound.

Hidden in the thick trees is a small pond, connected to the river flowing from the far away mountains. A six foot waterfall flows into the pool breaking the surface of the clear water. I'm so tempted to strip down and just jump in, but a proper princess would never be so brash. Though, I look over at Link, and he is already pulling his boots off. I watch him through the corner of my eye, wondering just how far he will go with his princess standing a mere three feet away. He pulls his tunic up over his head, followed by the heavy chain mail. It falls to the ground with a loud rattle and then he's gone. I hear the splash, my eyes lock onto his body now laying back in the water with his eyes closed.

When he finally opens them, he looks at me, gives me a crooked smile before signaling me to join him.

I shake my head but my smile gives me away. "I can't." I giggle. "I'm a princess. I can't just shed half my clothes and jump in like you can."

His head tilts to the side, as if he's just thought of something, his expression flashing a look of regret. He immediately swims to the side and pulls himself out of the water, coming to my side in just three long strides. I look up at him curiously, wondering what caused his sudden mood change when he drops to his knee in front of me, arm crossed over his chest just like the first time he came to me after being promoted to my service.

The sight of him, bowing to me is like a blow to the chest. I don't want him to feel like he is below me. My words must have made him realize he wasn't acting very professional and now he's expecting to be reprimanded.

I squat down to bring myself level with him. "I know I am your princess, and you have orders to protect me, but you don't need to bow down to me, at least not here. No one else is around. I'd prefer to think of you as my equal, as my friend."

His gaze that had been locked on the ground rises up to look into my eyes. He stares at me like he can see straight through to my sole. "Please, I continue. Be free to be yourself around me. It will be different once we get back to the castle, but not when we are alone.

His eyebrows jump up as he brings himself up to his full height. A mischievous smile curls his lips as he tilts his head toward the water twice.

"You are going to make me prove that I am not stuck up royalty like your king aren't you?"

His smile grows wider.

"Fine. Turn around." He immediately does as he's told and I shove him hard, as soon as his back is to me. He falls forward back into the water. While he's still submerged, I quickly slide my gown down and let it pool at my feet. This is the most un-princess like thing I have ever done, but that doesn't stop me from jumping into the water in just my crinoline and corset.

Link smiles at me. His eyes wide, filled with the wonder of a boy half his age. I can't help but laugh at him. "What are you looking at?" I push my hands forward under the water and pelt him with a wave of water. He retaliates with his own strike, thus starting a water war. With so much splashing, it is neatly impossible to keep my eyes opened and when I open my mouth to laugh, I swallow a mouthful of water unexpectedly. I begin to cough immediately and though I can't hear the sounds coming from my mouth, Link somehow notices right away. He lunges closer to me, yanking me forcefully toward the shallow water. He pulls me against his bare chest and slaps me on the back several times.

I let out two more water logged gurgles before pulling myself away from him. "I'm fine, I'm fine." I put my hand against his chest, pushing him back to give me more space to breath. My hand is cold against his skin, and it forces a gasp from my lungs when I push my entire body away from his.

His face is as serious as stone, and once again, I feel he expects me to punish him. I smile at him to try to put him at ease. It warms me to feel that his concern is genuine and not just one of his duty. There is something between us. A bond of friendship that is more powerful that any king's orders. I don't know how it happened so quickly, but Link has become someone I easily trust with my life.

"I guess that was a little too much fun for me." I blush, feeling utterly embarrassed by my choking.

His expression softens, as he pushes a lock of hair off my cheek.

There is unmistakable regret written across his face. I can tell he is desperate to communicate this to me. "I guess we need to come up with a hand gesture for I'm sorry."

His frown stays constant as he nods his head.

"It's alright Link. I started it. We were just two friends having a little fun."

He nods again, but his smile doesn't return. Instead he wades to the shallow water and separates himself from the pool. I follow him out, knowing the fun is over. I should feel embarrassed, standing in front of him in my under layers, but I feel no shame, not in the least. After all, he's already seen and touched my hands, this is not much more intimate than that.

I squeeze out my crinoline as best I can before returning to where I'd left my dress. Link stays where he is on the tiny beach side of the pool. He dresses quickly, pulls his boots on and slips his scabbard over his shoulder. He's ready to go again, just moments after leaving the water, while I'm still trying to evacuate as much water out of my layers as possible.

We don't speak again for a while. I follow him, confident he can get us back to where we need to be, but all the joy has left his face.

The sky starts to grow dark again as we travel, and I know it won't be long before it won't be safe on the ground. I start to scan the horizon for a tree to spend the night when Link suddenly falls to the ground on his hands and knees. He studies the ground as his fingers brush dirt away from a small rock. Once he gets it free, his face lights up in a broad smile.

"What is it?" I can't understand why this little rock has made him so happy, but it takes only a fraction of a second before I understand.

He gathers some dry brush, making a small pile by his knees, then scrapes the rock against the hem of his chainmail. Sparks fly from his armor, igniting the brush with a quick whoosh. He slowly adds more brush until the flame becomes more steady and then fishes around behind him for a larger branch.

I collect some nearby sticks and logs while he continues to build the fire to a nice height. I sit on the ground across from him, pulling myself as close to the fire as I can. I hadn't realized just how cold I'd gotten until I began to warm up.

"Are we safe on the ground, as long as the fire burns?" I ask him.

Link smiles at me for the first time since our swim and nods his head.

I curl up in a ball wishing the fire was all around us instead of just in front. My back is freezing, and my body shivers involuntarily.

Link looks at me with concern, but there is nothing he can do. I'm sure he is just as cold as I am, and it's not like we have any spare clothes or blankets.

My eyes are drawn to him as he stands and walks over to me. "What are you doing?" His face remains serious as he sits behind me. He positions my hips between his legs, letting one extend out on each side of me. His chest curls around my back as he pulls me against him. I gasp as the heat from his body penetrates mine in more ways that it should. He is trying to warm me, but my body reacts in more ways than I expect.

He places a hand on each of my upper arms, rubbing them up and down briskly. The friction between his calloused hands and my smooth skin creates another heat source and before I know it, my entire body relaxes against his, no longer cold. No longer alone and afraid. I let my head fall back, leaning against his chest, enjoying the closeness we are sharing. I drift off to sleep, wondering if I will ever feel this warm and safe once we reach Ghirahim's castle.

 **Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Reviews mean so much to me and keep me motivated to continue. Don't forget to follow the story so you will be notified each time I update.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I know this is a short chapter, but it is an important one. There will be more about our Heroes in the next chapter. Hope you like it.**

Ghirahim sits up with a start when the healer pulls his bandage away from his chest.

"Goddesses help us," she gasps as she makes the sacred triangle symbol over her heart.

The king pushes her out of the way, stands and walks over to his bedroom mirror. His mouth falls open as he stares at his wound.

Lord Corbin stands by his side. "It will heal Eugene." His voice not in the least bit confident that he is stating the truth.

"No," Ghirahim shakes his head. "It will not. Our encounter with the beast yesterday was not an attack. It was a reminder." He brings his shaking fingers up to touch his chest where the skin has been removed. I large triangle has been carved out of his flesh. "Leave us!" he yells, and everyone in the room scatters but his trusted guard. "My time is almost up."

Corbin takes a step closer, setting his hand on his king's bare shoulder. "What are you talking about? This is not a life threatening injury."

"That's not what I mean." Ghirahim's eyes look off in the distance, staring at nothing at all but seeing an ancient memory flash through his mind. "Has it been 1,000 years already?"

"A thousand years your majesty?"

The king begins to snicker, but Corbin finds nothing funny about the riddles coming from his friend's mouth.

"We have known each other for the better part of thirty years, have we not?"

"Yes your majesty. What is your point?"

"Has it never occurred to you that I haven't aged?"

Corbin stares down at his feet. "I just thought you were in excellent health your majesty."

Ghirahim lets out another snicker. "Blinded by my perfection I suppose?"

"Perhaps."

"I was in no danger of bleeding to death. I only drank that damned potion to shut you up."

"Your majesty, I had no way of knowing the severity of your injuries. There was so much blood. I could only assume…"

"Shut up Henson. I'm trying to tell you something."

Corbin snapped his mouth shut, looking at his king with concern.

"I cannot bleed to death because I cannot die."

"Eugene, you need rest."

"No. I need to tell you everything." Ghirahim slowly walked over to his bed and sat down. "Nearly a thousand years ago, I made a deal with the king of the demons. I was but a farmer then, living a simple life. I was harvesting the last of the corn when the sky suddenly turned black. The sky split in two as a huge lightning bolt ripped through the sky. It went right through me. I fell to the ground, and as I lay dying in the middle of my corn field, I cursed the Goddesses. I was a good man, living an honest life. I didn't deserve to die like this, for nothing."

"And then he appeared. The most divine creature I'd ever seen. His body seemed to be solid stone and his hair was a raging fire. He asked me if I wanted to die. I answered him honestly. I was not ready to die. So he made me an offer I couldn't refuse, eternal life in exchange for my soul. He would become my master for all time. But that wasn't enough. I wanted more. If I was going to live forever, I wanted a life of luxury. He made me another offer, one that I accepted without hesitation. He would give me my every heart's desire in exchange for the souls of my future bloodline. I was already well into my thirties. I had no wife, no children and no desire to have either. So I sold the souls of my unborn children, and every ever child born with my blood running through its veins."

Corbin's face showed no emotion, but his hands shook by his sides.

"And then I had a son. I felt things I had never felt before. I wanted everything for him. When my master told me it was time to take him, my boy was only six years old. I couldn't let him go. I begged and pleaded with my master to spare him. Just him. He could have anyone else he wanted. And because my master loved me, he made me another offer. If I could track down the bloodline of the Goddess Hylia, and combine it with my own bloodline, then he would let my son live free from the destiny I had handed him at birth. He would give me one thousand years to accomplish this task."

Ghirahim's gaze jumped to his Royal Guard. "Finding the princess of Hyrule has never been about producing an heir. I need no heir, for I will reign forever. But if we produce a child together, then her bloodline, the Goddess Hylia's bloodline, would be cursed to belong to my master for eternity. It is only through her blood, that the power of the Triforce of wisdom can be yielded. My master already possesses the Triforce of Power. Once he has all three pieces, he will rule all the world, not just his domain of lost souls."

"Eugene, you are delirious. This triforce you speak of, it is only an ancient legend. It has no true power, it is only a symbol of hope for the Hylian people from centuries ago. Even they don't worship it anymore." Corbin tried to keep his voice calm, but was slowly losing control.

"That's because they are a bunch of fools. History has shown the prophecy of the triforce to be true over and over again. It has just been so long, that they have forgotten its true power." Ghirahim's eyes began to glow red as his smile widened to resemble that of a madman. "My master needs me to deliver him the child of Hylia's bloodline, and when I do, I get my son back. If I fail, my boy will become enslaved in the depths of hell."

Henson took a step back. He had never seen his king like this, and despite the love and loyalty he felt toward him, this revelation shook him to his very core. _He is a demon. My king is a demon._

"Find the princess!" Ghirahim suddenly yelled as his hands curled into fists. "I have only one year left. "It has taken me far too long to find her, I won't fail when I'm this close. Find her or I'll hand you over to my master myself!"

Lord Corbin fell to his knee, bowing in a way he had not it decades, for his king had always been his friend and forbade him from bowing to him. But the man standing before him now, was not his friend, not his king and not a man to be trifled with."

"I will take care of it myself your majesty." His voice shaking as he spoke.

Ghirahim's eyes slowly returned to their normal dull gray as Corbin ran from the room. "It won't be long now, my master. Hylia and all the Goddesses with bow to you. The princess will soon be my queen and her child will be handed over to you. All that is left, it to find the third piece of the triforce."

 **Be honest: Did you see this coming?**


	10. Chapter 10

At some point during the night Link and I must have lied down, because when I wake up we are both sleeping on our side, my back still pressed against his chest. His arm rests lazily on my hip but his hand hangs free.

My first instinct should have been to jump up and pull myself away from him. That is what a proper princess should have done. Then again, a proper princess would never have allowed a man to get this close to begin with. I blame it on the cold, and his translation to keep me safe being also keeping me warm, but I feel there's more to it than that. I find it amazing the way he somehow communicates without words. Last night, with just a look, he was able to convince me to allow him to take care of me. I know that if we find ourselves in a similar situation, that he will give me that look again. A look I can't refuse. This is more than just a soldier performing his duty. There is something else there, something hidden under the surface that compels him to be this type of person. I wonder if I will ever know what shaped him to be like this.

I roll over slowly, just so I can look at him. In his sleep, he looks too young to be a soldier, let alone be a member of the royal guard. His sandy blond hair shivers in the morning breeze, pulling strands lose to caress his cheeks and forehead. It makes me want to touch his face, to push the loose pieces back into place with my fingertips.I raise my hand to do it, but the sight of my gloved hand stops me. _What are you doing_?

I let out a long sigh as I return my hand to my side. That's when his eyes flutter open. They look a lighter shade of blue in the early sunlight but they still have a power over me. I expect him to flinch once he realizes I am so close, or because I am facing him, but he doesn't react at all, like it was not a surprise in the least.

His eyes just stare into mine. He doesn't say a word, doesn't smile or frown, leaving me no idea what's going through his mind.

"Good morning Link." I feel the need to break the silence between the two of us, though by now I no longer expect him to reply. "Did you sleep alright?"

His expression doesn't change but he nods his head slightly.

"So did I, though I don't think I would have had I been cold all night.

This he seems to understand. I'm thanking him for sharing his body heat. Though I'm sure he benefitted from it just as much as I did. He finally gives me a tiny smile as he starts to sit up.

We waste no time getting back to our journey. Today feels different, but I'm not sure why. He seems eager to get back to his kingdom. There is a quickness to his pace and I can't help but wonder if he is uncomfortable about the way we spent the night. Perhaps he is now in a hurry to return me to his king to prevent any further instances.

I try to talk to him, but he doesn't respond to anything until I grab his arm and jerk him to a stop. "Are you angry with me?"

He looks back at me, confused, then shakes his head.

"Well, then is something else wrong?"

This time he doesn't reply with any kind of gesture. His eyes drop to the ground and he grimaces but that doesn't help me understand his mood.

"Maybe we should take a break. We've been walking for quite a while."

Link sighs and nods as he finds a big rock and removes his shield and sword from his back, leaning them against the large stone, before taking a seat on a fallen tree.

I sit beside him and smile, trying to lift his spirits.

"Maybe we can come up with some more hand gestures. It sure makes it easier for us to communicate."

He gives me a half-hearted smile before looking away and this time the look on his face is undeniable. "You're worried about something, or someone."

He nods again without looking at me.

"Well, maybe I can help. If there is some way you can tell me what is bothering you." He shakes his head, still not looking at me and I get the feeling again that I am the source of his worry.

"It's me. Isn't it?"

His eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second, just long enough to confirm my suspicions.

This confirms to me what the problem might be. Perhaps he is concerned by the closeness we shared, just as I was upon waking.

"It's okay." I set my hand on his shoulder. Just as before, his eyes are drawn to the spot where I touch him. "I'm not going to tell the king." My words do not seem to help.

"Link." I move my hand from his shoulder to his cheek, forcing him to look me in the eye. "We're friends, you and I. We have to help each other." With that, I take his hand and curl his pinky finger into a hook and then connect it with mine curled in the same fashion. He looks down at our joined fingers and then back up to me. "Friends," I repeat, giving his finger a little reassuring squeeze.

I'm relieved to see he understand, as he finally smiles at me, a smile that brightens his entire face.

"You didn't do anything wrong. You're actually very good at taking care of me. I'm grateful to have you as my appointed guard."

We spend the next hours nibbling on the few berries and seeds that we manage to scavenge up. While we sit and eat, we come up with new hand signals, all designed to keep me safe. One, is a way to tell me to run away, where he just points in the direction he wants me to go and then pumps his fist in the air two times. Another is to tell me to hide. He puts both arms out vertically in front of his face, but tucks one completely behind the other, so only one arm can be seen when directly across from him. As we come up with more signals, it's easy to recognize how intelligent he is. I wonder if other people know or if they just assume his ignorance because he doesn't speak.

When we get down to the bottom of the stack of food collected in my dress, he refuses to eat any more, wanting me to finish. I use this as a good opportunity to come up with some gestures for other things, not pertaining to his job. I teach him a way to say thank you, by laying his hand down palm up and setting his other hand in it the same way. Your welcome is the same gesture but with a quick tug back toward the body. With each new hand gesture, his mood lightens more and more. I enjoy seeing him happy and I start to goof around, making up words that he would most likely never need to use and adding an equally outlandish gesture to go with it. We both start laughing, bending forward in snickers when we suddenly bang our heads together. We both pull away quickly, rubbing our foreheads in a mirror image of each other.

"Ow." I giggle again. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize we were so close together."

He laughs again, as I get an idea.

"I'm sorry," I say again. I extend out only my thumb and bring it up to my face. With the back of my thumb placed right under my right eye, I drag to down over my cheek, stopping at the corner of my mouth. "I'm sorry." I repeat.

He copies the gesture before smiling at me, happy to increase the number of words he can communicate with me.

He looks happy now, a happiness that he deserves. I suppose as a soldier, there are not a lot of moments like this. And though I'd like to drag it out as long as possible, Link stands and brushes off his pants. He picks up his scabbard putting his left arm and then head through the chest strap.

"Time to go?" It wasn't a question I needed an answer to but he nodded anyway.

He offers me a hand, to help me to my feet as I brush the sawdust from the back of my skirt. A futile gesture considering my once white skirt looks like a variety of shades of brown now.

We continue walking and after only about ten minutes, we reach the path that is used as the road. Link looks pleased to be back on familiar territory.

"Does this go all the way to your town?"

He nods with a smile on his face.

"You must be anxious to get home. I'm sure your family is worried about you."

Link's face suddenly drops and his eyes close slowly as he pulls in a deep breath.

 _Shit_. That was not the reaction I was expecting and it needs no explaining. His family is not waiting for him for one reason or another. This is obviously a sore spot and I feel I shouldn't pry for personal information, but at the same time, ignoring it may make it look like I don't care.

I watch his face closely as he bites down on his lower lip, eyes still closed. I feel horrible for bringing up the subject but I don't know how to respond. I decide to grab his hand, bringing his eyes to meet mine. "I'm here, anytime you need me." I can't exactly ask him if he wants to talk about it, but I have to offer some kind of support.

He smiles at me and lifts our joined hands up to waist level where he pulls his free of mine, then forms his pinky into a hook for me to link with my own.

"Friends," I reply, reassuring him that I remember the meaning of the gesture.

We continue walking, following the hoof prints and wheels marks carved into the mud. I try to keep my pace the same as his, but he continually slows down to walk behind me. To keep an eye on me I suppose, so I don't try to force us to walk together.

We stay silent for a while, but it isn't uncomfortable. It's as if we both know we are preoccupied with our own thoughts, and we don't need to speak just to fill the silence.

I think about my future, and how it might not be that bad now that Ghirahim is being nicer to me. In all honesty, the king is not the main reason I am less worried about my life now.

As these improper thoughts bounce around in my head, Link suddenly pushes past me in a sprint before he comes to an abrupt halt about twenty feet ahead of me. His body freezing in place as he stares at something up ahead. I continue my steady pace until I am by his side and squint to see what he is looking at.

I take a step past him, to get a better look, but with cat-like reflexes, his hand clasps around my lower arm, yanking me to a stop. He puts his hand out blocking my path, then points at the ground and then to me.

I nod, understanding he wants me to stay here.

With a stern look, he jogs off ahead of me to confront who know what. I don't feel that we are in danger. He hasn't unsheathed his sword, but his steps look cautious, planned as he approaches something on the ground up ahead.

I stay exactly where he told me to, watching and waiting for a sign from him that it's safe to follow.

He looks frozen in place again for a few moments before he kneels and reaches out to touch something lying on the ground on the side of the road. I wonder if it's another beast of some sort and he is just making sure it's dead before he motions me over.

I nearly fall over when a loud roar comes from his direction. It takes only a fraction of a second for me to realize the roar came from Link himself. I'm horrified to think whatever this creature is, it's hurting him. I have no idea what I could possibly do to help, but my feet push me in his direction, running to help somehow, any way I can. But before I get too close Link is back on his feet, his sword in hand as he swings it around in every direction. He looks like he is battling an invisible army that has surrounded him as he swings wildly at tall weeds and loose branches that dare get in his way. I continue forward as the object in the road identifies itself to me. It isn't a single body, but a pile of four human bodies. An additional three behind the first pile in a mangled heap. I swallow hard, making sure to keep my distance as Link is still swinging away blindly.

The reason for Link's outburst now clear. It was not one of physical pain but of the more potent emotional kind that is ripping at his heart. The bodies are easily identifiable by there black tunics with the diamond pattern. Ghirahim's royal guards.

Link slams his sword into the side of a giant tree, barely disturbing the branches above. The vibration causing him to drop the weapon. He falls forward, using the tree to hold him upright before sinking down to his knees.

I run to him, knowing he can't accidentally slice me in half now. I drop down to my knees by his side and set my hand on his back. "Link?"

When he looks up at me his face is an equal mixture of anger and grief, his eyes glazed over with a layer of unshed tears. His mouth falls open, and for a moment it looks like he's going to speak. Instead he looks down at his hands linking his two pinkies then pointing to one of the fallen guards.

There is no mistaking what he is telling me. I pull him into my arms, as he buries his face into my shoulder. His hands shake as he tries to grip on to me. His body seems to go limp in my arms as the sadness overpowers him.

I don't personally know any of the fallen soldiers, but I can't stop myself from losing control of my own emotions as Link completely lets his go in my arms, his pain hurting me as well.

There is nothing I can do for him but hold him close, pulling him into my body with my arms. I rub his back with one hand, keeping the other securely around his waist. I will stay this way as long as he needs me to.

 **AN: Sorry if I made anyone cry. Actually, no I'm not. It just means I'm doing my job well. Send me a review with your thoughts and opinions to keep this story going strong.**


	11. Chapter 11

Link regained control of himself after only a few short moments, then bows down to me on one knee using our gesture to signal that he was sorry.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. There is nothing wrong with grieving. I only wish I could help."

Link pushes his lips together into a straight line as be stands. He looks around briefly and starts collecting small rocks, tossing them into a pile. Not knowing what else to do, I help him. We spend several hours collecting and growing our pile when Link signals me to stop. He walks over to his fallen comrades, pulling the bodies apart and arranging them in a neat row further away from the road. One rock at a time, he begins to cover each body so they will have a suitable place to rest in peace.

I pick up a rock to help, but he angrily shakes his head at me. He wants to do this alone so I sit on my knees, watching him from a dozen feet away. His face is stone, not a trace of emotion left as he covers his fallen friends. Without even realizing I am doing it, I quietly start to pray to the goddesses to watch over these brave soldiers and to welcome them with open arms into the sacred realm. Link looks over at me several times as he continues his work, and I feel he is grateful for my words to the divine. I continue my prayers, saying them over and over while Link completely covers the bodies, protecting them from the immediate elements or scavengers. When he place the last stone, he comes to my side, kneeling beside me with his head bowed. His hands clasp in front of him as he tries to keep his body from shaking.

I can see him struggle beside me. He must be exhausted, having done it all himself, in addition to his grieving. I can't imagine he is in any condition to continue our journey. I reach over and take his hand in mine as I say a final prayer. I pull myself off the ground and step away, releasing his hand slowly so I can give him some time alone with his grief.

I spend the next few minutes gathering firewood, figuring we might be staying here for the night. To my surprise, Link finally approaches me and pulls the pile out of my hands, setting it on the ground at our feet. He opens his palm to reveal a strange looking plant in his hand that he must have found while collecting rocks.

"What is it?" I'm about to take it from his hand when he closes his fingers around it. He brings the plant to his mouth and blows through the single end that splits into a double cone shape. Several notes follow, creating a soft melody. He repeats the tune several times, and though the sound is lovely, I don't understand its purpose. Maybe it is something his people do to honor the dead, I think to myself.

A moment later, I hear a rustle in the leaves behind me and I spin around to see what kind of monster might have snuck up on us, but to my surprise, it's a horse. Not just any horse, it's Link's horse. He reaches out for the mare's muzzle, cupping it in his palm while humming the tune he'd played on the plant.

I am shocked to see the horse. Why did Ghirahim's caravan not take the mount with them when they left? This brings a lump to my throat as I wonder if any of them are still alive. There is no sign of Ghirahim's carriage or any of the wagons, nor are any other horses around. "I can't believe it. How is she still here?"

Link just smiles, burying his face into the horses neck, like he is not at all surprised she has been waiting for him.

"You have a very strong bond with your horse." I say simply. Link only nods as he puts a foot into the stirrup and pulls himself up on her back. He reaches a hand down for me and I grasp it with my silk covered hand, letting him pull me up to sit behind him. I wrap both arms around his waist as he lets out an unintelligible noise that is an encouraging yell that spurs the horse forward.

We travel quickly along the path, much faster than we had during any part of the journey before this. I cling on as tight as I can while the horse gallops along the dirt path, rushing to beat the sunset to a huge stone wall that is visible quite a ways ahead once we clear the woods.

"Rah, rah." Link pushes his mare to run faster. We are so close to our destination, it feels like he's become impatient. Maybe he is tired of me holding on so tight, or maybe he is desperate to find out the fate of the rest of the caravan. Either way, his body is completely tense as we get closer and closer to the main gate. He begins to slow, only when we are close enough to see the guards standing in our path, blocking the gate with long spears. Link pulls hard on the reigns and his horse rears up, nearly nocking me off in the process.

"Who goes there?" One of the guards yells at us.

Link pulls his helmet off, nodding to the guards, then leaning to the side so I can be seen as well.

"Link? You have the princess! The king will be so happy. You should deliver her to him immediately."

Link nods as he puts his helmet back in place. The guards split down the middle, allowing him to pass. I take a deep breath as we ride into my new kingdom for the first time. The small town surrounding the castle is very quaint. Despite the growing darkness, many villagers are still walking about in the streets. They get out of the way quickly as Link's horse speeds up to a canter through the path that splits the town in half. Up ahead, a huge castle looms over the village, casting long shadows as the moon rises from its side.

We finally arrive at the main gate of the castle. Link jumps down from his horse before putting his hands on my waist to help me. A young boy runs up to meet us, taking control of the horse and leading her toward a stable in the distance.

Link motions with his head for me to follow him through the main gate, but my body freezes in place, jerking him to a stop as he tries to take my hand. He looks back at me, confusion written all over his face.

Over the last few days, I've grown close to Link. I trust him, but I still don't know what to expect from his king.

"Link," He stares into my eyes as he removes his helmet. "Thank you."

He smiles, a quite professional smile, as he nods.

"Am I safe here?" I didn't even know what I was going to say until after I'd said it. "I trust you. Is King Ghirahim a good man?"

Link's brows furrow and his head drops as he thinks about my question.

"I know you are loyal to him before anyone else. I apologize for the question. It did not come out as I untended."

Link smiles at me and gives my hand a small tug, leading me into a long hallway. The doors behind us close and Link immediately falls down to one knee, bowing toward the group of soldiers who entered from the other end of the hallway followed by Ghirahim himself.

My heart starts racing as I realize I am not looking forward to seeing the king again. I bow my head in respect as the group makes its way over to us.

"Thank the goddesses, you are safe." Ghirahim takes my hands in each of his.

"Your majesty. I am very happy to see that you are alright. I was so worried." I say as my head stays looking toward the floor.

"And I for you my dear." The king then turns to look over at Link's kneeling form. "It appears I made a good decision choosing your appointed guard."

"Yes your majesty. He is very brave and an excellent swordsman. Not once did I feel my life was in danger."

"That is very good to hear." Ghirahim placed his hand on Link's shoulder. "You may rise."

Link stood slowly, but never looked directly at the king. Instead he kept his eyes trained on the crest displayed on Ghirahim's chest. I found this odd considering he always made direct eye contact with me.

"I am afraid most of my Royal Guards were slain on our way back to the castle. They gave their lives to protect me." Ghirahim put his hand under Link's chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. "The princess means everything to me. Would you die trying to protect her as my guards did for me?"

Link stared into his king's eyes and nodded. His penetrating gaze enough to convince Ghirahim of his loyalty to me.

"You will stay with her at all times to ensure her safety. I don't care if you never eat or sleep. And let me make one thing perfectly clear, if anything happens to her, you die. Do you understand?"

Link nodded again, bowing to his king. Based on the look on Link's face, he meant to honor the king's orders. He would protect me or die trying. But I can't help but wonder if Link would have made the same agreement if he was ordered to protect King Ghirahim. Something told me there were words left unsaid between the two of them, and they were not words of loyalty or commitment to his king. I vowed to find out what those unspoken words were as Link was ordered to escort me to my new chambers.


	12. Chapter 12

For someone who was happy to see me safe and sound, I was sure dismissed quickly. Link wasted no time to show me to my chambers. They were very spacious, larger than what I had in my own castle, and I had a large walk out balcony attached to my bedroom that displayed an impressive view of the town as well as the mountains in the distance. In addition to my bedroom, I also had a sitting room, a study and a wash room. All equally impressive in size and décor. I walked through my rooms, viewing the extravagant tapestries and woodwork that set the space apart from my chambers in Hyrule castle.

I don't consider myself stuck up, but I could see how living in such a grand kingdom could make you feel above others with the same status or title. Ghirahim must be extremely wealthy in order to have built such a magnificent castle. I sit down on my bed, testing out the mattress as I think to myself that I could be quite happy here if only my future husband turned out to be a decent man.

Link follows me into the bedroom. He looks around with almost as much wonder as I do. It is plain to see he has never been in living quarters such as these and he feels overwhelmed by the luxuries.

"Have you never seen this part of the castle?"

Link looks up at me, pulling his attention away from a large painting of a young boy on the wall, before shaking his head.

"Can I assume you've been assigned a room in the castle?"

Link nods and points toward the main door. I recall seeing a much smaller door down the hall from mine. I can only assume his quarters are behind that door.

"Let's go see your room, shall we?"

Link flashes me a scowl. He doesn't want me to see his room as I'm sure it is nothing compared to mine, but I want to know he has everything he needs and deserves.

"Oh, come on. I need to know how to get ahold of you in case of danger. I'm willing to bet there is another way in here from your room. I'm sure it will be easier to find from your side. Let's find out."

Link shrugs as I follow him out of my chamber and over to the smaller servant's quarters. Just as I suspected, the living space is much smaller, consisting only of a sleeping chamber and wash room. There is little décor, the bed is small and there is little space for personal belongings, but Link's face lights up upon entering.

"Is it nicer that where you used to live?" I ask.

Link nods, trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Good. Now let's see if there's a secret passage to my room. In my castle in Hyrule, there are hidden passages all over the castle, especially in the royal chambers where the royal guard are expected to use them to keep the royal family safe in the event of an attack." I walk around the perimeter of the room, looking at the set-up of the wall that adjoins our two living chambers. A fireplace is centered along that particular wall, one of the most common places for a hidden entrance. I run my fingers along the top of the mantle, not knowing exactly what I'm searching for. The smooth marble is flawless and cold to the touch. There is nothing that indicates a hidden lever or handle.

After a few moments, I abandon the fireplace idea after finding nothing that could open a secret door. Perhaps Ghirahim felt it was too obvious since it was such a common occurrence in other castles. I spend an additional few minutes searching the room, but without success. "Hmm, I guess you'll just have to use the main door, though I do find it odd."

Link doesn't look like he cares too much. He just stands across the room watching me with a slight smile.

My eyes are drawn to his smile. I genuinely enjoy seeing it and it reminds me of our previous time together. "It's getting late. I think I'll retire to my own chambers." I spin on my heel to head back toward his door when I suddenly stop. I turn back to him again. "Do you still want me to teach you how to read and write? There is still so much we can't communicate to each other."

My guard's smile broadens briefly before falling away completely, but he doesn't reply with any sign of movement.

"You feel strange about it, don't you?"

Link's gaze falls to his feet as his expression hardens. It is understandable. No servant should ask or expect anything from the person they serve.

I take several steps toward him until we stand just a few feet apart facing each other. "It is as much for me as it is for you. How are you going to protect me if we can't communicate more than a few simple things?"

His eyes lift, locking on mine as they so often do. He nods once slightly, just enough to not look too eager.

"Good. Get some rest. We can start first thing in the morning. Well, maybe after a tour of the castle. I have so many questions for you." My voice trails off as I leave his room.

His head appears around the corner as he watches me push past my own heavy door.

* * *

I use the time alone to explore my own living area more. I open every drawer and storage space, examining the contents as I go. I have everything I could possibly need. A full rack of beautiful gowns, drawers full of exquisite accessories and a shelf piled high with all the extra necessities a princess would expect. There are fragrant soaps, silky creams and soft towels in the wash room set up beside a large marble tub. My other rooms are equally stocked with luxuries. I have satin sheets on the large bed, shelves of books in my study and expensive furniture in my sitting area.

I should go to bed. I haven't slept well since leaving my father behind, but for some reason, sleep is not my first priority. My attention is on the huge selection of books in my study and I can't pass up the opportunity to check out my wide selection. There is a little of everything included, from fiction to history, but I'm unable to find what I'm unaware I'm looking for.

I sit down in one of the plush chairs and sigh. What was I expecting, I don't even know. Perhaps I do need sleep.

I return to my bedroom and find some night clothes in one of the heavy chests, quickly dressing before falling backwards onto my bed. The mattress is quite comfortable and I feel sleep slowly taking over my body before I even pull my legs up onto the bed with the rest of my body. I doze off in a matter of seconds, not even covering myself in the think comforter first.

I'd only been asleep for a few moments when a loud creaking sound woke me up. I sat up, looking around, but the darkness made it impossible to see anything, let alone identify where the noise had come from.

My heart rate speeds up as I suddenly feel like someone else is in the room. I try to calm myself, as I continue to scan my surroundings, my eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness. A flicker of light catches my eye off against the far wall. I'm unsure if I'm fully awake as I blink hard to clear my vision. But it is not my imagination. My wall does seem to glow slightly, getting brighter each second I stare at it.

My skin gets cold as I hear another creek and the wall opens up. Candle light spills across the floor as a shadowy figure comes into view behind the candle. I open my mouth to scream as the figure steps into my room, but before the sound escapes my mouth the shadow lunges toward me, dropping the candle to the ground. A hand covers my mouth and a voice in my ear urges me to hush.

"Shh."

My heart is racing. My first night in my new castle and I'm already being attacked.

With my mouth still covered, the intruder takes my hand in his other one, my hand that is ungloved since I'd been in bed. My pinky is curled and linked with another finger, as my shaking slowly subsides.

"Link?" His pinky squeezes mine reassuring me it is indeed him. "You scared me half to death."

He chuckles lightly as his fingers come to my face. He recreates the _I'm sorry_ gesture against my face since it's too dark to see him do it himself.

I let out a long breath as the adrenaline slowly leaves my body.

Link stands and retrieves the candle from the floor. A moment later, it comes back to life with a renewed flame and I can finally see the features of his face. He returns to the wall where he'd entered the room, holding the candle out to show me.

"I guess you found the secret passage connecting our rooms."

Link chuckles again and nods, holding his hand out to me. My sleeves are long enough that I can pull them down to cover most of my hands and even though it feels indecent, I let my bare fingers slip into his palm. He gently pulls me to my feet and leads me over to the open passage. He goes in first and I follow.

The passage is wider than I expect, and doesn't lead directly into just his room. Sure, if you continue straight, there is a panel leading to his room, as he shows me, but the passage also goes off to the right and left, leading to who knows where.

"Wow." I didn't mean to say out loud. "It might be fun to do some exploring."

Link turns to me, shaking his head. Clearly he doesn't like the idea.

"Oh, come on. Where is your sense of adventure?" I turn to my right and step away, expecting Link to release my hand. Instead his free hand wraps around my wrist, making it impossible to pull away without a struggle.

I look down to where his hand has somehow closed around bare skin that I thought was covered by my sleeve. It should feel awkward, wrong, improper, but the feeling of his fingers curled around my wrist are not an unwelcome sensation. Quite the contrary. The warmth from his hand is reassuring and in the back of my mind, I hope he doesn't let go.

I let my eyes meet his in the candle light. He shakes his head again, then points back to my room. Maybe he's right. It is late and it may not be wise to be walking around the secret passages after dark, especially when I haven't even seen the rest of the castle yet. We could easily get lost.

I turn to go back to my bedroom and he follows me, guiding me toward my bed. To my delight, he keeps my wrist in his hand the entire time until I sit on the edge of the mattress.

His fingers loosen, slowly dragging down my wrist and across my palm to my fingertips. The sensation sends a shiver through my body as I know he just done something forbidden. Did he do that deliberately or is he unaware that is not acceptable for royalty?

"Link." I pull my hand free and tuck it under my leg. "You can't do that."

The side of his mouth turns up in what appears to be either innocent ignorance or a hidden sign of rebellion. Never have I not been able to distinguish between the two before and if it had not been for the mischievous glint in his eyes, he might have gotten away with it.

"Link." I lock my eyes onto his and try to hide my own smile. "Don't do it again."

His smile widens and he bows down in front of me on one knee. His smile never leaves his face, and I feel like he is mocking me now.

I slap him lightly on his cheek. "Go to your room, and try to act like a proper gentleman in the morning. We aren't out in the woods anymore."

He stands and walks out immediately, gaze locked with mine until he disappears behind the door, leaving me with an unusual flutter in my stomach that is a new sensation to me.


	13. Chapter 13

I am awoken the next morning by a soft knock on my door followed by the squeak of my door opening. I roll over, rubbing the sleep from my eyes to see who has entered my chamber without permission. A young girl, with short blonde hair, most likely around the same age as I am, stands at the foot of my bed, hands clasped together in front of her apron.

"Good morning your Highness. My name is Ilia. I have been assigned to be your chambermaid. Anything you want, feel free to ask."

I pull myself to a sitting position and give her a smile. "It is nice to meet you Ilia." Having another female to talk to and spend time with will be nice, but seeing her reminds me of Impa, and I immediately feel her absence in my chest.

"I've been given an itinerary for today's events. Would you like to go over it quickly?"

An itinerary? Is my whole life going to be pre-planned out for me before I even wake? "Yes, I suppose that would make sense."

Ilia smiles once before repeating the list she has memorized. First I have breakfast with the king. After breakfast, I am to have a thorough tour of the castle and afternoon tea will be served when we get to the gardens. After the tour, I am to pose for a painting for the king's chamber. Lunch will be served once the painter is done for the day. After that, I have some free time, where I'm encouraged to make myself at home, which I fully intend to do. After my free time, I am expected to do some physical training. I am to learn some self-defense and get some exercise at the same time. I'm happy that this is scheduled time, so I don't have to do it on my own time. My father had me training in self-defense since I was a child, and the thought of giving that up was not a happy thought.

"You have approximately one hour after that to bathe and make yourself presentable for dinner. Dinner will be a formal occasion any time you dine with the king, which will be up to his discretion. After dinner, the rest of the day is yours to do with as you please." Ilia takes a deep breath before continuing. "The king has also come up with a list of rules and regulations that must be followed. He will present these to you himself after breakfast." She swallows hard. "If you disobey any of the rules, the king will have you punished."

"Punished?" The word is poison on my tongue. "Does he think he is my father now?"

Ilia's head drops, "I am just relaying his message, my lady."

"Of course. I understand that. It's just, I am to be his wife, not his servant."

"Yes, your highness. But under King Ghirahim everyone has rules, even his most trusted advisor." I see fear flash in her eyes as she speaks. "You do not want to anger the King. He is quick to pass judgment and has a ferocious temper."

I meet her eyes with my own as she bites her lip. She is giving me a warning, even though she was most likely not to say anything about the king and I'm grateful she has trusted me so soon though I already have experienced Ghirahim's temper first hand. "Thank you for your advice. I will definitely keep it in mind." I want so badly to probe her for more information, to get to know more about my future husband, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable or ask her to answer questions he is not supposed to, so I try to word my curiosity as gently as possible. "Tell me about him. What is he like?"

Ilia fidgets nervously and her voice is suddenly raspy when she tries to reply. "I don't know much your highness. He has done a wonderful job keeping his people safe, and as long as you serve him well you are treated humanely, even rewarded on occasion."

Her tone of voice tells me there is more that she isn't saying and though I shouldn't I push her for answers. "And if you don't serve him well?"

Ilia shakes her head, either unwilling or unable to answer right away. Her eyes dart all around the room as if looking to see if anyone else is in the room, spying on our conversation. "If you are smart, you will serve him well."

I decide that is more than enough of an answer and I change the subject in order to calm the girl. "What can you tell me about Link?"

"Link, your highness?" Ilia looks up at me, not understanding why I'd brought up the name.

"Yes. He has been assigned as my personal guard. He isn't exactly a talkative person. Do you know him?"

Ilia blushed, "Yes my lady, almost everyone knows Link."

"Oh?" The color that suddenly appeared on her cheeks makes me wonder just how well she knows him. "Is there anything you can tell me that will make communicating with him easier?"

"Ah, well, maybe." I expect her to continue, but she doesn't.

"And what might that be?" I press.

"Well, he is a very private person. I don't feel right speaking about him."

This is a surprise. She will speak ill of her king, but she won't talk to me about the royal guard assigned to protect me. I swing my legs over the edge of my bed and stand, taking several steps to come to her side. "I only wish to know how to interact with him. Just like you, he and I will be spending a lot of time together. Ideally, I'd like those in my charge to be close, like friends. That means both you and Link. I wish neither of you any harm."

Ilia drops her head to her chest, refusing to look at me. "Yes, your highness." But she still doesn't continue.

"Do you have a relationship with him?"

Ilia blushes again. "No, nothing like that. We are friends, nothing more. Well, we used to be." Her eyes finally meet mine as she stands up straighter. "Link is a good man, loyal, honest and one of the kindest I have ever met, but…"

"But?"

"But, he has a dark side. He won't let anyone in, and he too has a fierce temper. I have tried for years to break down his walls, unsuccessfully. I have always wondered what dark place in his mind took away his voice, but he has not shared that with anyone that I know of."

"Took away his voice? He was not born this way?"

"No, my lady. Link and I grew up in the same small village as children. We were even neighbors for a short time, and our parents thought that someday we might get close." Ilia looked away, unable to meet my eyes. "Closer than just friends."

"Oh." I don't know how to reply to this.

"One-day Ghirahim's men came to our village and recruited all the young people to work for him at the castle. Most of us went willingly, including me. We were promised food and shelter, and a much nicer life than we ever had living in the village. But Link didn't want to go. He was happy with the way his life was, just living as a farmer and herding the goats was all he wanted. So he refused Ghirahim's offer." Ilia's voice grew quieter as she finished her thought. "But he is here anyway, so most believe he was forced to come. He hasn't spoken a word since we started serving Ghirahim. We were only ten years old when this happened. He is a good soldier, always follows orders and definitely excels at everything he sets his mind to, but he is not the same person he used to be."

I consider her words for several moments before speaking. "Are any of us the same once we are no longer treated as children?"

"It is more than just age and responsibility that has changed Link. It was not growing older that caused him to stop speaking nor was it increased responsibility that hardened his heart to everyone. Something dark has taken control of his soul."

I listen to everything Ilia has said, but the man she is describing does not sound like the man I know. She has known him much longer than I, even going back to when they were children. I have to at least consider what she has said, though I find it difficult. I want to question her more. Tell her about the time Link and I shared together on our way here. Is it possible he is just different with me? I suppose it is a possibility, but will bringing this to her attention hurt her, even if I explain that he was just performing his duty as well as he knew how? It is obvious that she cares deeply for my appointed knight, may have loved him at some point in her life. Nothing good could come from bringing it to her attention that we seem to have bonded already in the short time we have known each other, so I decide to just drop the subject.

Ilia helps me pick out a suitable dress for my first breakfast with the king in his own castle and she seems quite content with her new position. She happily chats about the town's people and the way of life around here, telling me over and over how much I will like living here, and how happy she is to be serving me. Apparently, my arrival has been the hot topic of discussion throughout the entire kingdom, and the townsfolk are eager to meet their future queen. It all sounds great except the part where I have to become Ghirahim's wife.

Once I am dressed and my makeup has been applied, Ilia steps back and bows her head. "Your guard… I mean Link will escort you to the breakfast room and give you the tour of the castle, but if you need me for any reason, he knows where to find me. I hope you have a wonderful day your highness."

I give her a genuine smile as she opens the door to my bedroom, transferring me to Link's watch.

* * *

 **AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know not a lot happened, but it was a necessary chapter to learn a little about Link's past. Make sure you follow and** review **if you like the story. I haven't heard much from my readers for this particular story and I need to know if it is still worth my time to continue with it. Reviews are what make me what to continue, and if my readers lose interest then so will I, so if you want more, please let me know.**


	14. Chapter 14

Link gives me a bright smile as soon as Ilia opens the door, and she scowls back at him when he doesn't make eye contact with her. She told me they used to be friends, and I get the feeling she has deeper feelings than that even, but based on his reaction, it doesn't appear they even know each other. I'm sure I should mind my own business, but curiosity gets the best of me, and I want to know if there is more to Ilia's story than she told me.

"Link." I greet him with an equally genuine smile. "Ilia and I were just talking about you."

This gets his attention, and his gaze flickers to meet hers for a moment. "I'm very pleased to hear the two of you already know each other. She tells me the two of you grew up together."

Link looks to the floor as he nods a single time. He doesn't seem pleased that we were talking about him, and even less so that Ilia told me about their past.

The sudden uncomfortable silence is too much to bear. Neither of them wants to speak, or even look anywhere other than the floor, so I must be the one to start a conversation.

"Anyway, Ilia is my chambermaid, so you both will be seeing each other frequently. I hope that is not a problem."

Link shakes his head, as Ilia squeaks out a low, "No, your highness." She nods to me one more time before Link motions for me to walk with him.

"It was very nice to get to know you Ilia. I'm very grateful to have you assisting me."

"The pleasure is all mine, your majesty." She wears a polite smile, but her expression is sad as she closes the door. I feel bad for her. If she and Link really were friends, he should not have treated her like that, but without knowing his side of the story, I can't be quick to judge him either.

Link looks equally upset as we start walking down the empty hallway and I need to find a way to get his smile back. "That wasn't exactly the reunion I was expecting from two old friends." I tug on his arm to get him to stop walking, and he immediately drops his eyes to the floor when he faces me. "Ilia told me you were friends, is that true?"

Link doesn't look at me, nor does he answer with his usual head gesture to confirm or deny my question. His eyes stay glued to the floor, and I can't help but feel something isn't right.

"Link, what is it? Is something wrong?"

This time he shakes his head, but I'm not convinced he's being honest. The expression on his face says it all, this is not something he wants to talk about. Though I want to know more, I'm not going to force anything from him. Ilia did tell me he doesn't open up to others. I only wish I understood why because the man standing with me now has little in common with the man who escorted me out of danger and to my new castle. I should just let it go, at least for now.

"I should get down to breakfast. I don't want to keep the king waiting."

Link looks into my eyes and nods. Again he gestures with his left hand for us to continue down the long corridor.

He leads me to a bright room that has a large window facing a faraway mountain. The view is beautiful, and I walk to the window to pull the drapes aside to get a better view. As I stare off into the distance, the clicking of heels approaches from behind, and then a hand is placed on my shoulder. I know it isn't Link by my side. He walked in near silence with his standard issue soldier boots. It is only a wooden sole that would make that sound. It must be Ghirahim that has joined me.

"Are you enjoying the scenery, my dear?"

The gruff voice catches me off guard, sounding nothing like that of the king. I turn to see Lord Corbin by my side, and though I have seen him with my future husband several times, he has never spoken directly to me. I know nothing about this man.

"Ah, yes actually. The view is quite breathtaking."

He smiles at me, and it feels genuine and warm, unlike Ghirahim's smile. "I suppose I should introduce myself before anything else. My name is Henson Corbin. I am the head of the king's personal guard, and if you don't mine me boasting about it, I'm also his best friend." He takes my gloved hand in his and places a gentle kiss on the back. "I'm afraid the king has been called away and won't be able to join you for breakfast. He sends his regrets, and me in his place. I hope you are not too disappointed."

I smile up at him and answer him truthfully. "No, of course not. I understand all too well what the demands of running a kingdom are like. My father has included me in almost all of the decision making since I was quite young. I am familiar with the schedules of the nobles and their unplanned meetings."

"Wonderful. Let's have a bite to eat then, shall we?"

I nod as he leads me over to the head of the table and pulls the chair out for me.

Link is standing against the far wall, and if I'm not mistaken, he's staring out the window at the view I just walked away from. Corbin notices when I look over at my guard and smiles affectionately at the boy. "I know he isn't much of a talker, but he is a great soldier. You are in good hands, your highness."

I smile at Lord Corbin once again. "I already know this. Do I have you to thank for assigning such a worthy protector to me?"

"You are quite perceptive your highness," he replies as he pushes my chair in and takes a seat perpendicular to mine so we can talk easily. "He was my first choice for an upcoming promotion, but unfortunately, his lack of words have prevented him from moving up in the ranks."

A maid approaches the table as soon as we are both seated, placing a covered dish in front of each of us. She lifts the covers simultaneously, takes a quick bow and hurries out of the room.

Since we are talking about Link so freely, I use the opportunity to ask Corbin about him. If we speak quietly, Link won't be able to hear our conversation from his place by the wall. "And why do you think that is Lord Corbin?"

The older man looks up at me after shoving a full piece of bacon into his mouth. "Why do I think what is?"

I smile at him as I push my eggs around on my plate, not wanting to look too eager for an answer. "Why do you think he doesn't speak?" As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. Perhaps Link doesn't want anyone to know he used to speak. Does he even want me to know? "I mean, do you know if he was born this way or if he was injured in battle?"

Corbin stares at me, eyes wide. Does he know something? If he does, will he tell me? I don't know if I should be hopeful or afraid. "I have no idea, your highness. As far as I know, he has never spoken a word, nor would I expect that to ever change." Corbin turns back to his plate of food, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth. His way of telling me this part of our conversation is over.

I keep the conversation light for the rest of breakfast. We talk about the castle and the weather. Corbin recommends places I must see during my tour, promising to mention these sites to Link. I finish eating knowing that Corbin is definitely keeping something from me while Ilia's warning resonates in my head about Link's dark side.

Link's mood lightens up once we are alone again. He points out various statues and tapestries that are important to the castle's history, and I'm grateful for his attempts to show me these essential items, but without knowing anything about them, they are just objects to me. It makes me wonder if having Link as my tour guide was actually a waste of time.

"Link!" I grab his finger that is currently pointing at the next tapestry along the empty hallway we follow, and he lowers his arm slowly, smiling bashfully as if he understands my dilemma. "Perhaps, I can do this part of the tour later, with Ilia."

Link frowns but nods his head in agreement. He can't exactly argue my point.

I decide it may be easier if I tell him what I want to see, and I know exactly what my first destination will be. "There must be a grand library in the castle. Can you show me where it is?"

Link's lips curl into a smile as he grabs my hand and we dash through the hallway and down some stone stairs to a lower level. He looks just as excited as I am now, and his boyish expression brings a smile to my lips. We turn a corner around a half-moon shaped fountain before we stop abruptly at a heavy wooden door. Link pushes it open and gestures for me to enter before him.

The smell of old books swirls around me as I enter the multi-level library. It has to be three times the size of the library back at Hyrule castle, and it takes me several moments to turn in a complete circle to absorb the vastness of the room. Despite its immense size, the bookshelves are jam-packed full of books, to the point where I can't find an empty spot for a single book. "Wow!" I meant to say more, but that was the only word to fall from my lips. This place is gigantic. It would take several lifetimes to read all of these books.

Link nods beside me as I walk over to the nearest bookshelf and scan the titles along the row of binders, admiring the selection of titles in just this small section. Link comes to my side, looking curiously as my finger runs down the row without actually touching the spines. He inhales deeply before letting the long breath out forcefully, sending the thick layer of dust that covered the books into the air.

We both start coughing, despite our attempts not to breathe in the tiny particles, but this just gets us both laughing at the same time; which in turn results in more coughing.

I wave my hand in front of my face as I take a step back. "Impressive library, but when is the last time someone has actually been in here?"

Link shrugs as he takes my hand and pulls me further into the room to escape the dust cloud. We look at more shelves, and it soon becomes quite apparent that my observation was correct and this part of the castle doesn't get much if any use. I don't mind this revelation. I will spend plenty of time in here and will enjoy the privacy.

Link seems to get bored quickly just looking at the shelves and shelves of books, and my lungs are craving some fresh air, so I make my way back to the heavy wooden door with Link following close behind me. I walk back out into the hallway but stop abruptly as soon as we clear the door. This causes Link to walk into me from behind, nearly knocking me over in the process.

I gasp as he grabs me around the waist before gravity has a chance to pull me to the floor. His arms tighten around my waist for a brief second before he releases me to stand on my own two feet.

I turn to him and smile, knowing the incident was a result of my abrupt stop. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm lucky you have such quick reflexes." The right side of Lin's mouth turns up in a half smile, and it brings me a feeling of joy along with it. "I just had a thought, and I wanted to ask you before I forgot."

Link's eyes lock on mine. He looks more amused than annoyed by my abruptness. And now curiosity joins the mix of emotions on his face.

"What do you want to show me? Never mind all the formalities and things you are supposed to show me. I want to see what you like best about this kingdom.

Link's eyes sparkle with mischief as he grabs my hand and we are off and running again down the stone hallways.


	15. Chapter 15

We run straight through the side entrance of the castle and down the dirt path that leads us to the center of the small town surrounding Ghirahim's territory. It doesn't surprise me at all that Link's favorite places are outside of the castle. After all, before his recent promotion, he probably spent very little time there.

But this little village is more his style, and he looks much more at ease walking around here. We head directly to the marketplace where Link yanks my hand to bring me to a stop in front of a small food cart. An old man with a friendly face greets Link very casually as if they are old friends and Link holds up two fingers to the man.

"Hahaha. You're either extra hungry, or you are trying to find me a new customer. So which is it? Who is your new lady friend?" The man looks directly into my eyes as he hands me a wooden stick of meat that smells simply divine.

Obviously, Link doesn't answer the meat vendor so I must introduce myself. "I'm Zelda," I smile. "Link is giving me a tour of the town, and this is the first place he brought me. I guess that means he thinks you have very good food."

The white-haired man laughs again. "No, that's not it. It just means he's thinking about his stomach again." I chuckle as Link collects his own snack while wearing a big smile. The man continues to address me as Link takes a big bite out of his meat. "So, you must be new in town. Are you an old friend of Links'? What brings you to our little village?"

"Oh, well, I'm, ahh…" It then occurs to me that I don't have to be royalty for the moment if I don't want to be. These people will have no idea who I am and the idea of anonymity for a short time is appealing to me. "Yes, we are old friends. We go way back."

Link stops chewing and turns to me with a questioning look. I meet his eyes and hope he can somehow read my mind. _Just play along._ Amazingly, he seems to understand and flashes a smile at me, a smile that the old man takes as a confirmation of my identity.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you, Zelda. I hope you enjoy your stay and come back anytime. The food is on me."

"That's very kind of you, but I can't accept such an offer. I will pay for my food just like everyone else."

"Don't be ridiculous. Any friend of Link's is a friend of mine. Let me tell you; I owe this boy my life. The least I can do is feed him for free, and his friends as well."

Link rolls his eyes at the man and collects my hand in his again as he tries to pull me away.

"Yeah, there he goes. He hates it when I tell this story."

My curiosity peaked, I slip my gloved hand out of Link's light grasp and turn my attention back to the meat vendor. "Oh. Well, I'd love to hear it."

Link lets out a low moan as the man comes around to join us on the other side of the cart. "This kid is one of a kind I tell you. Not a selfish bone in his body. He deserves praise but hates the attention."

Link smirks as the old man pats him solidly on the shoulder. I can't help but laugh at the way Link tries to motion me to leave before than man can start talking. He shakes his head at the man, trying to persuade me not to listen to the story.

"So, my wife and I were out in the woods collecting berries. We were supposed to make a very large meal for a festival and thought collecting the berries ourselves would save us quite a bit of money instead of buying them. Anyway, we were out in the berry patch, and neither of us is familiar with the forest at all. I urged my wife to stay close to the path, but that darn woman never listens to me. She kept going further and further into the woods. She claimed the berries were bigger in the shaded areas." The man stopped his story to let out a laugh, showing the affection he has for his wife. "Out of the blue, this huge creature jumps out from behind one of the bushes right next to my wife. She screamed and when I looked up to see why the creature was reaching out for her with his long claws. I ran toward her, yelling at the top of my lungs to draw the monster's attention away from my wife. And it worked, the damned thing started running after me. I didn't think my plan through. I just wanted the thing to leave my wife alone. I ran as fast as I could, leading it away from her, but I knew if it caught me, I was as good as dead. And that thing was fast. It was gaining on me with every step it took. I said a silent prayer in my head, right before the thing caught me and out of nowhere, the thing just collapses to the ground. At first, I thought it tripped or something, but as I looked back at it, I saw an arrow had impaled it right through one of its beady eyes. A moment later, Link runs out from behind a tree, bow in hand, to make sure the thing was actually dead, and though he couldn't ask me with words, the look he gave me just screamed concern. I told him I was alright. He stayed with me until we got back to my wife and then escorted us back to town. He even helped us collect the damn berries after my wife had spilled them when the monster startled her. I guess he was out hunting and heard her scream. He didn't think twice about coming to our rescue. Ever since then, he's part of the family."

I look over at Link, whose cheeks have turned a bit pinker than they were before, but he's still working on his meat stick, acting as if he didn't even hear the story, but I know better.

"So, I guess he's not just my hero." I grin at him as he looks up at me. "He has saved my life as well. More than once actually."

Link rolls his eyes again as he finishes the last of his meat and wipes his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Haha. That doesn't surprise me in the least. If you're smart, and you look like you are, you won't let this kid get away. Marry him, give him a couple of kids and get him to settle down."

Now it's my turn to blush and Link lets out a laugh. He takes my hand in his again and steps closer to me as he wiggles his eyebrows jokingly.

"I'll have to keep that in mind, though our relationship isn't quite like that."

The old man's smile quickly fades. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed. The two of you seem, well, close."

I bite my lip and look down to where my hand is still enclosed in Link's, and I like the feel of his fingers wrapped around mine. Perhaps things would be different if I wasn't to marry the king, then again, had it not been for my engagement to Ghirahim, I never would have met Link. I pull my hand away from my protector and squeeze it into a fist by my side. I can't think about a future that will never be. It will only hurt to imagine a life where I am free to choose my own husband because I know it would be someone just like my appointed knight.

* * *

We wander around town lazily, taking in the sights and sounds of the villagers. Children run freely through the streets; some singing songs and another group kicking a ball around. One of the boys makes eye contact with Link right before kicking the ball right to him. Link catches it on the side of his foot, launches it into the air above our heads, then directs it back to the boy with his head. Link's smile gives away his true age as he entertains the kids.

"That was impressive. You are a man of many talents." As soon as my compliment leaves my mouth, the sound of shouting catches our attention over by a vendor selling handmaid bows and arrows. A rather heavy set man is yelling at the petite woman behind the small table, and her face has gone pale as a result.

Forgetting my place in this kingdom, I make my way over to the center of the commotion and demand an explanation from the angry customer. He takes one look at me and turns back to the woman accusingly. "These arrows she is selling, they are poor quality. I couldn't kill a pigeon with one of these, let alone any animal that would make a decent meal. They don't fly straight and the break way too easily as soon as they hit something. I should be getting twice as many at the price she is asking."

Link watches from behind me as I pick up one of the arrows from the woman's stock and test the durability of the shaft. It feels just as strong as any arrow I've ever used. "How much are you asking?" I ask the woman.

"I sell ten for five rupees."

"That sounds fair to me." I look back over at the angry man. "This woman is selling quality arrows for a fair price. You need to move along." I'm convinced this man is just trying to get more merchandise for free with his false claim.

"What the hell do you know? You're just a woman. I bet you can't even shoot." The man crosses his arms over his chest, staring me down when Link steps between us to shield me from a possible angry blow. Link is only about half the size of this guy, but he shows no sign of fear.

"Mind your own business kid. I was talking to the lady."

I smile as I place my hand on Link's shoulder before things got out of hand. "Perhaps a demonstration. If I prove these arrows are good quality, will you leave quietly?"

The man looks surprised that I haven't crouched down in fear. Link keeps his eyes trained on the heavy set man but gives me a quick glance back as if to ask if I know what I'm doing.

An overconfident smile takes over the man's face as he looks past Link to me. "Yeah, sure. But how are you going to do that?"

"I'll hit a couple of targets, of your choosing. Will that be adequate? If I can hit them, that will prove the arrows fly straight. And if they don't break on impact, then they must be plenty strong."

"You've got yourself a deal." The two of us agree to move to a safer location, away from the shopping villagers, where several targets are set up rather quickly. The arrow vender lends me a bow and a few arrows.

First, the unhappy customer takes position, aiming at one of the targets. When he releases the arrow, it pulls to the right, completely missing the first target. He grunts as he nocks the second arrow. This time the arrow wobbles in the air as it flies, hitting the target at an angle and breaking the shaft in two on impact. I suppress a giggle, but not well enough the keep it to myself.

"You think you can do better?" The heavy man is practically in my face again as Link once again jumps to my defense.

I refuse to let the man's size intimidate me as I wave Link off and step up to take my turn. I nock the arrow, pull it back and let it fly. It sails straight and true, penetrating the target dead center. The group of onlookers who had assembled to watch the commotion erupt in cheers as I set up my next shot. My next attempt sails smoothly into the next target, this time made of wood instead of straw. The arrow shows no sign of breaking at it firmly lodges itself in the wood. Once again the audience cheers for me as I turn to the man.

"The test was too easy. And for all we know, you're in on this scam with the seller."

It was clear this man was a sore loser, and despite my perfect demonstration, he just grew angrier. "You want to try another target?"

The man glared at me, nostrils flared, as he looked past the two targets that had been set up. "That oak tree." He pointed off into the distance at a tree that was much further away than my range, and I felt my confidence waver.

"Can you hit that tree?"

"It doesn't matter. We are testing the arrows, not my aim. If you, or anyone else for that matter, can hit that tree without the arrow breaking, then, and only then, will I back down. If you can't, then I want twice as many arrows as I paid for."

I let my head fall, knowing I can't hit this new target. The woman who was selling the arrows looks disappointed, but she thanks me for standing up for her.

I reach out to hand her the bow, but before she can take it, Link pulls it out of my hand as he makes eye contact with her. She instantly hands him an arrow without questioning him, and he steps past me and takes aim. He releases his hold and mere seconds later the arrow sinks into the solid tree without any sign of damage to the arrow.

The crowd behind us grows loud as everyone starts talking at once. It was an impossible shot. Everyone knew it, including the fat man who made the challenge. He wasn't expecting to lose, and his expression is one of shock as he accuses Link of using magic.

This entire thing has gone on far too long, and I will not allow it to go any further. "Maybe you would like the rest of the royal guard to come over and show you the proper way to shoot."

The man looks stunned. "Royal guard? He is not a member of the royal guard."

"Actually he is, and he is in charge of my safety. He was just showing me around my new kingdom. We were not expecting any trouble, or he'd be in uniform right now."

"And who exactly do you think you are to be prancing around our village with one of the royal guards?" The man almost looks amused. Several of the onlookers recognize Link, and one had advised him he was just a basic soldier, so of course, the heavy man thought we were lying.

"I am Princess Zelda, heir to the throne of Hyrule and your future Queen."

The onlookers all start talking again. "It's the Princess. I'd recognize her anywhere," one says.

"She _was_ scheduled to arrive around this time," says another.

A smaller boy asks, "Is Link really in the royal guard now?"

I smiled as it sounds like almost everyone in attendance believes me and the angry man backs down. "Are you _really_ the Princess?"

"Yes," I sigh. "Perhaps you'd like me to summon the king so he can verify my identity for you?"

The man's eyes grow wide as he shakes his head, showing me once again that the people of this kingdom do not want to anger their ruler. "No, of course not." At that, he gets down on one knee and bows his head. "Please forgive me, your majesty. I had no idea."

The rest of the crowd follows his lead, kneeling before me, and even Link goes down, showing his allegiance. It is a sight I am overly familiar with and leaves me disappointed that my day of anonymity is over. I step to Link's side, placing my hand on his shoulder. "We should get back to the castle. We are expected for tea in the gardens soon."

Link rises. The group of bystanders part down the middle as we head back to the castle.


	16. Chapter 16

The garden was a nice change of scenery. Ilia had everything all set up for afternoon tea when we got back from town. I told her all about the commotion in the village as we sat with our refreshment. She seemed pleased just to talk, though she was upset at first when Link declined an invitation to join us.

"I wish I had been there to watch the whole thing. Link has always been good with a bow, even when he was still a boy," Ilia said.

"Well, I was definitely impressed. I was considered one of the best archers in Hyrule, and I couldn't have made that shot." I brought my teacup to my lips and took another sip. "I wonder what other secret talents he's hiding from us?"

Ilia giggled, "Too bad; we may never know."

I am a proper princess, but I still understood her joke. "Ilia!" I tap her hand in reprimand, a look of mock horror on my face as we both break out in laughter. It was true, there was no hope for me to learn any of Link's other secret talents, as Ilia had called them, but maybe there was hope for her.

My smile slowly faded as I try to steer the conversation in a more serious direction. "How can you be so sure? Have you really given up hope that the two of you could ever get close again?"

My handmaid blushes as she returns her teacup to its saucer. "I tried for a very long time to get through to him. We used to have these long philosophical conversation up on the roof of his house. We talked about everything, the stars, our future, absolutely anything that would pop into our heads. He was my best friend back then. But now, I don't even know him anymore. And not just because he won't talk to me. He is totally different. I don't know if he ever felt for me what I felt for him. What I do know, is what I feel for him now is not the same as it used to be. I don't have feelings for who he has become. But I will always have hope that he will remember who he used to be."

I place my hand over hers and offer a supportive smile, all while wondering what Link used to be like and what it is about him now that she doesn't like. He is a mystery that I feel I need to solve, but I am afraid of what I might discover about this dark side Ilia has talked about and what could have changed him so drastically that his best friend barely recognizes him anymore. Why does the once talkative boy now not say a word?

Just as my mind is stuck on him, Link appears around one of the hedges. "It looks like tea time is over," I frown, waving to Link.

Ilia smiles. "Thank you for such a lovely conversation." She glances back at Link quickly, then back to me. "Please don't tell him what I said. I honestly don't know how he'd take it."

"I won't say a word," I promised her as I stand and walk over to Link.

"You are to report to Ghirahim's study now. To pose for his painting," she adds before we walk away.

"Thank you, Ilia. I will see you later. Enjoy your afternoon.

King Ghirahim is waiting for us when we arrive at his study. He has a beautiful ball gown ready for me to change into and several handmaids wait by his chamber door to help me get ready.

"Princess Zelda. I hope you are enjoying your time here so far. I assume you've had a tour of the castle grounds?"

"Yes." I nod politely. "And then some your majesty. I've even gotten a chance to see a little of the village."

"Really?" Ghirahim looked over at Link. "Is that something that interested you?"

"Yes, very much your majesty. I feel being in touch with your people is very important for a ruler, don't you?"

Ghirahim thinks about it for a moment. "I can't say I have ever given it much thought. I just let Lord Corbin handle most of that business. I have little interest in the lives of the peasants living at the base of my castle."

It saddens me to hear him say this, though I'm not surprised by his answer. Still, I have no desire to argue the point with him, so I drop the subject altogether. "This is the dress you wish me to wear?"

"Yes. Go to my chamber and ready yourself. Jaquine, the artist, will be here shortly, and he hates to be kept waiting." I nod politely to my king, and the handmaids follow me into his suite.

The dress, though beautiful, is extremely uncomfortable and much more revealing than I'm accustomed to. The neckline is low, and I feel indecent when I walk back out to face Ghirahim again.

He smiled and nodded his approval, despite my obvious discomfort. "Perfect. You look like a queen worthy to rule by my side now." He turns to the door as the painter enters and my eyes shift over to my knight. Link hasn't taken his eyes off me since I entered the room in this dress and I feel the blood rush to my cheeks under his constant gaze.

"I'll leave you to work your magic," Ghirahim says to the painter before turning back to me. "Princess, if I may be so bold, remove the gloves for the painting." The king doesn't even wait for me to comply before leaving the room.

My mouth dropped open. It's a request that is against the law, considering the man is not yet my husband, but considering he is the lawmaker in this land, there is little I can do. I swallow hard as I tug at each finger individually before sliding the satin gloves off.

Link looks startled, still not looking away. Despite the fact he has seen my hands before, he should still look away. Instead, his eyes widen and his chin motions in the direction of my hands just as my bandage is uncovered. _Shit!_ I forgot about that.

"Oh, no no. This will not do." Jaquine comes to my side, examining my wrapped wrist. "We need to cover this." He looks over to the handmaids. "What can you do about this?"

The two maidens approached me in a hurry. One unwrapped my arm while the other fetched a little chest full of the makeup they'd applied to my face earlier. They don't have much trouble covering the long red scab with caked on makeup and then position me in my chair with the worst part of my arm hidden in my lap. Without further incident, Jaquine begins his masterpiece, while Link guards the door. He's not looking at me anymore, but now and then, I see him turn his head to peak over at me.

By the time Jaquine is done with me, my entire body is sore. I'd love to be angry at Ghirahim for putting me through this, but it is the same process in any castle. Posing for a painting for several hours has never been something I enjoyed, though I'm much better behaved now than I used to be for this kind of thing.

When the artist starts to pack up his things, I stood and stretched my body, trying to get my blood flowing again. As soon as all of my limbs wake up, I immediately head for Ghirahim's chamber to change back into my casual day dress. To anyone other than royalty, my dress would be considered anything but casual, but for me, it is one of the most comfortable garments in the wardrobe supplied to me, not counting nightwear. I let out a long sigh once I'm redressed and have my gloves pulled back up over my elbows.

Link is waiting for me by the door, turned back to face the room once more. I thought I had it bad, but Link spent the last few hours staring at the back of the closed door to ensure no one interrupted the indecent painting session.

"Let's get out of here. I need some fresh air and something to eat." Link smiled at me, nodding his head in agreement, then opened the door, leading me to freedom from the paint fumes that filled the air of Ghirahim's study.

If I remember correctly, Ilia promised lunch after the portrait sitting and then I have some free time. Thank the Goddesses. I intend to make good on my promise to teach Link how to read and write, and I wanted to start after we have something to eat.

I decided to have lunch in my chamber, out on the balcony. The weather was perfect, and the view was breathtaking. A light breeze flowed in from the mountains in the distance carrying the scent of wildflowers along with it.

After Ilia set the table in a rush, she gives me a polite bow then heads for the door.

"Ilia," I called after her. "Are you not going to join me?"

"I apologize your majesty, but I can't today." She blushed a darker shade of red than I've seen from her so far and this catches my interest.

"And why is that?"

"I have to finish my work early so that I will be free this evening." Ilia bit her lip. "I have a date. But I will be back before you return to help you prepare for dinner."

I smile at her as I watch her glance over in Link's direction. She obviously is looking for some kind of reaction from him, but he doesn't appear affected by her announcement in the least. She shrugged when she doesn't get a response, and I'm happy she doesn't seem bothered by it.

I wished her good luck on her date as she scampered out of the room, faster than I've ever seen her move.

Link's shoulders dropped noticeably once she'd gone, making it painfully obvious that he was uncomfortable around her. If only we could talk, maybe he'd tell me why. How could she be his best friend one day and a stressor the next?

I look down at the absorbent amount of food Ilia has served. There is no way I can eat all this. I hope Link will join me this time. Maybe without Ilia here he will accept my invitation.

I smile over at him, standing straight as if guarding my door still. "Link, will you join me for lunch? I don't think you need to stand guard when I'm in my own chambers." Link's eyes lock on mine, but he doesn't reply. Is he considering it? Is it not allowed I wonder? Ilia had no problem joining me for tea. "Please, don't make me eat alone." I tapped the chair beside me as my royal guard slowly makes his way over and takes a seat.

He looks nervous to be joining me for a meal, though he is definitely more relaxed than he was while Ilia was here. I instructed him to help himself but he doesn't move, so I load his plate with a little of each item set up on our table. It isn't anything fancy. We have chunks of ham and cheese, freshly baked rolls and several kinds of fruit, unavailable in Hyrule. Even as I dig in, he still doesn't make a move. He is not the man I met a few days ago, and I want to know why.

"Link, what's wrong? You're acting like we are practically strangers today when just last night we were having fun together like two kids."

Link's shoulders slumped as he shook his head and it occurs to me he still can't tell me what's wrong. We don't have enough signals for any kind of detailed answer.

I know we have plenty of time, so I decide, why wait till after our meal to start our first lesson. More hand signals might come in handy, and I know exactly where to start.

"Link, let's work on our communication. I'm going to make up a few more gestures. You should be able to answer some questions this way. Let's start with likes and dislikes. So, when you really like something, you may say that you love it, right?"

Link nodded his head, staring at me as I speak.

"Alright, so let's make a heart with our hands to represent love." I placed my two thumbs together, curl my fingers around till they meet in the middle in a heart shape. He smiled and copied the gesture.

"Now, let's say, you like something, but you don't love it. Let's use the same gesture, but with only one hand, so it is only half of the heart shape, okay." Again, I show him what I mean, and he duplicates my every move.

"Perfect. Now to do the opposite, let's just make the like or love gesture but with a shake of the head to say we dislike or hate something, alright?"

Link smiled at me, encouraging me to continue. "I'm going to ask you to tell me how you feel about something or someone. Will you be honest with me?"

Link nods, but he looks nervous again. I can only hope he really will be honest with his answers as I begin.

I point to the pile of ham on his plate and look up to him. "I like ham." I make the half heart gesture with my hands. "How about you?"

Link made the full heart with his hands, and I smiled. "How about the cheese?"

He kept his hands forming the complete heart.

"And the bread?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, so you like food. How do you feel about me?" I realized after I ask that this may be too much too quickly. I'm not looking for a declaration of love. I only want to make a point. But, to my surprise, he answers immediately with a heart gesture with his hands, and I can't help but smile as a warm feeling fills my chest.

"Because we're friends, right?" I decide to clarify immediately and hold out my curled pinky to him. He linked his own with mine and nodded.

"What about Ilia? Are you friends with her?"

Link's face suddenly turned pale, and he pulled his finger away in an instant. Just as I thought, something isn't right between the two of them. "Do you not like Ilia?"

Link looks back up at me for a moment and then shrugs. "You don't know if you like her or not?"

He doesn't reply this time, so I decided to move on for now. I swallowed hard and ask my next question. One that could get me or both of us in trouble, depending on the answer. "What about King Ghirahim?"

Link closed his eyes. The sound of his king's name seemed to bring a stab of pain along with it, and I immediately regretted asking. Link held his hands up in the form of a heart, made eye contact with me and shook his head. His response scared me. "You hate him?"

Link nodded before opening his eyes again.

"What about Lord Corbin?"

This time, Link replied with a half heart gesture. "So you like Lord Corbin, but you hate the king?"

My heart begun to pound in my chest. "I wish you could tell me why. I'm going to be marrying the king in less than two weeks. You understand what that means, don't you?"

Link's gaze fell on his untouched food as he nodded an affirmative answer.

I didn't know what else to ask. Without words, how could Link tell me why he had such strong negative feelings toward Ghirahim. "Is it the way he acts, his personality?"

Link didn't respond.

"Did he do something to you or someone you care about?"

This time Link looked back up at me; his expression was cold as his lip quivered. But it wasn't just anger on his face. He looked stunned as if something had just occurred to him.

"Oh, goddess, he did!"

But before I could ask any further questions, Link slammed his hands down on the table, causing his plate to fall to the ground. If this had happened to any other servant in the presence of royalty, they would be on their knees, cleaning up the mess as they apologized. But Link did not react that way. In fact, the plate smashing against the floor angered him more. He stood up so quickly that the back of his legs nocked his chair to the floor. "Raaaah." The noise escaped his wide open mouth as he flipped the entire table over.

I jumped up, backing away from the huge mess, my pulse quickening caused by his sudden outburst. His face looked just as surprised as I felt like he didn't even realize that he'd done it.

"Link?" I took a step closer to him, placing my hand on his bicep. He flinched at my slightest touch and shrugged away from me as if I'd just burned him with my fingertips. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Link stared at the mess of food on the floor that was supposed to be our lunch as I watched his chest rise and fall with his deep breaths. He was beginning to calm down now, but I had no idea what he was going to do next.

He looked up from the spoiled meal, meeting my eyes and then made our, I'm sorry gesture by dragging the back of his thumb down his cheek before leaving my chamber through the passage that connected our two rooms.

I waited a few moments as I worked out what I should do. I felt guilty for causing the reaction he'd given, but clearly, he has some issues he should address. Things that it looks like he has just tried to push out of his mind.

Unsure if I was doing the right thing or not, I followed him through the narrow passageway. When I arrived in his room, he was standing by his window, staring out into the distance. I took several cautious steps forward before speaking.

"Normally in this situation, I'd ask if you wanted to talk." I smiled sheepishly as he turned to look at me. He stared into my eyes for what felt like an eternity before turning back toward the window.

"Alright, I guess you just want to be alone for a while." I turn on my heel to leave when I feel his fingers close around my gloved hand. He pulled me closer to him before returning his gaze to the scenery beyond the castle wall. I look out with him, trying to see what he is looking so intently at, but all I can see are rolling hills and smoke-filled air in the far distance, most likely the result of fires from a small village in that direction.


	17. Chapter 17

We stared out the window for a good twenty minutes, without even as much as a glance at each other, our hands joined the entire time. I wanted so badly to take away his pain, but without knowing what caused it, I didn't know how.

Link shifted while my thoughts swirled. He released my hand and turned to me, expectantly. I don't know if I was supposed to know what to say, but obviously, I was going to have to be the one to break the silence.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Link smiled sweetly and pointed over to his tiny bookshelf. There were only a few books lined up on it, but I didn't need to see any more to understand what he wanted. I walked over to the shelf and took down the first book, turning it over in my hands. "You want me to teach you how to read now?"

Link nodded, then held up his hand, as if holding something in his fingers. He bounced his hand slightly from left to right, causing me to laugh.

"Of course. You want to write too. That will make it much easier for us to communicate."

Link's smile broadened.

"I'm ready to start when you are, but we need to go to the library. I don't think you want to start with something this complicated."

Link looked happy. If I hadn't just watched his angry outburst, I never would have believed it happened. I hope that teaching Link how to write will eventually lead me to some answers.

We headed to the library together. I started looking for a book that might help me teach him some of the basics. Link held up one finger and then disappeared for a few minutes. I continued my search while he was gone, wondering what he was up to.

A few minutes later, I came across a book with large, handwritten letters. This would be perfect. I then gathered a pen, some paper, and an inkwell, before taking a seat in one of the dusty chairs.

When Link returned, he was holding a plate with something green on it. As he came closer, the intoxicating smell of beef and cheese filled my nose. When he put down the plate, I saw he had gotten us each a stuffed pepper, and I was grateful since we hadn't gotten to eat our lunch.

Link took a seat beside me. I started by writing out the alphabet in large script. I left a space after each letter for Link to attempt to copy the character a few times. I explained to him what each letter was and the sounds it could make as he tried to duplicate my perfect penmanship.

I giggled a few times at his messy attempts, but they were at least legible. I didn't think the writing part would be too difficult to learn. Now if he only understood how to put the letters together to make words, we might make some good progress.

We stayed in the library for about two hours as I sounded out simple words. Link watched my finger slide down the length of each word as I said it slowly out loud, and by the time I put three little words together, and we read our first sentence, he was as happy as a mushroom fairy. I taught him how to write his name and then mine before Ilia burst through the door.

"Your Highness. I've been searching everywhere for you."

"Oh!" I felt terrible for not telling her where we'd be.

"You only have a few minutes before it's time to meet your personal trainer."

"That's right. I almost forgot." I turned back to Link apologetically. "I'm sorry. We are going to have to be done for now. But you did wonderfully for your first lesson."

Ilia looked at us curiously. "Um, what exactly were you two doing?"

"I'm teaching Link how to read and write. It's basic knowledge that he should have anyway, but it will hopefully help us communicate with each other better."

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Her expression screamed _why didn't I think of that_ , as she smiled at me.

We packed up quickly as Ilia ushered me back to my room to change into something I'd be able to fight in. I was pleased to see that Ghirahim was not one of those kings who didn't believe in women wearing pants. Ilia had already set out a grey tunic and white leggings for me. As soon as I'd changed, she wrapped some leather armor around my waist, over my shoulders and around my arms and legs.

"There, now you are all set to meet Asheii. She is the best fighter I have ever seen." Link let out a snort. I guess he didnn't agree. "Her movements are fluid and cat-like. I wish I could watch your practice, but I'm running behind on my work. I'll never get finished on time for my date if I stay and watch."

"Why are you running behind? I thought you'd worked right through lunch?" I asked.

"Well, I did. But, I had a considerable mess to clean up after your lunch. What happened anyway?" Ilia came closer to whisper in my ear. "Did you get into a fight with Link?"

I smiled at my handmaiden. "No, nothing like that. I've very sorry about the mess. I completely forgot about it. We just had a little, um accident."

Ilia nodded in disbelieve. "It's quite alright. It was nothing I couldn't handle. Now, let's get you out to your training session."

* * *

Every word Ilia had said about Asheii had been accurate. She fights as if she is three steps ahead, even though that isn't possible. She can't always know how I will react, and yet she does. After an hour of sparing with wooden practice swords, I'm about ready to fall over. Link watched us intently from a bench. He seems to be enjoying the back and forth banter that Asheii and I have already picked up. She'd been thrilled to learn I was already quite good with a sword and I'd like to think, I gave her somewhat of a run for her money, though that probably isn't true.

"You've been fighting for years, yeah?" Asheii pulled her helmet off and gave me a big smile. Her wide eyes are friendly and just beg for a conversation.

"Yes. My father insisted I learn at a very early age. I started when I was three. Hopefully, I've improved since then."

"Well, if you haven't, then I can at least tell you, you were an amazing fighter as a three-year-old."

I laughed at her joke as she returned our practice swords to a wooden rack. "Well, thank you. That means a lot coming from a master, such as yourself."

Asheii looked over at Link, and then back to me. She raised her voice when she spoke, ensuring Link can hear her next comment. "Tell me, your highness, why are you hanging out with this low life?"

Her voice was so stern; I thought she was serious. I was about to scold her when I heard Link break out into a fit of laughter. I look over at him and then back to my trainer, whose face has turned up with a mocking grin.

"You two know each other?"

"Know each other? I taught this guy everything he knows."

Link slowly walked over to us, a look of mock horror on his face. When he reached us, he gave Asheii a little shove in the shoulder, and they both start laughing.

"Oh. So you are even better than my royal guard then?"

Asheii turned to Link. "I could beat him with one hand tied behind my back, yeah?"

Link burst out laughing again. I feel out of the loop as these two continued with their personal joke.

"Did she really teach you?" I asked Link.

He nods, still wearing a smile when Asheii interrupted him. "We signed up to become soldiers around the same time. Link joined as soon as he came to serve Ghirahim, but I worked in the castle for a year first. It took that long to convince Lord Corbin to let me in. He thought because I was female, that I couldn't be a soldier. I proved them all wrong, yeah?"

Link nodded again, answering Asheii silently.

"To be truthful, Link has exceeded my abilities now, just barely. But I'll get back on top again." She nudges him in the arm with her elbow. "I always do, yeah?"

I take a step back and watch the two of them from outside the one-sided conversation. Their friendship is apparent, and Link often smiles when Asheii jokes with him. The more time I spend with Link, the more I like him, and I find my heart warm when Link looks over at me and flashed me a smile. I have a sudden urge to hold him in my arms and as pleasant as the mental image is, this revelation is terrifying.


	18. Chapter 18

After my workout with Asheii, I'm exhausted. My body hurts in places it hasn't ever hurt before, and I don't resist when Ilia rushes me back to my chamber and immediately runs a bath for me. The water is warm and inviting and the oils she added to the water fill the bathroom with a light fragrance. I step into the tub and sink deep into the water completely relaxed.

Ilia keeps busy in my bedchamber, tidying up, changing the linens, all while humming softly. I smile to myself before I call out to her, hungry for details.

"Sounds like someone had a good night."

Her humming immediately stops, and I hear her giggle. She peaks her head through the doorway, and her face is practically glowing. "Yes, your majesty. It was nice."

"Nice? Just nice?"

"Well, more than nice."

"Well then, get in here and tell me all about it."

Ilia blushes, but she comes right in sitting on a stool across the room. "I don't know. I'm sure my love life is nothing compared to what a princess goes through. All that formal courting and romance."

I frown. "I've never even been on a real date. My father signed me away to Ghirahim as part of a business transaction. Now are you going to give me the details or do I have to beg? At least tell me his name."

"Alright, alright. His name is Groose."

"Groose?" I immediately picture the annoying soldier who was always trying to take credit for Link's work. I already want to butt in and tell her she can do better, but I decide to keep it to myself, at least for now.

"Yes. He is simply gorgeous. I think every maiden in the kingdom would die for a chance to go out with him."

I roll my eyes as Ilia has seemed to slip into a trance at the very mention of his name. "Wow. I guess you are a very lucky girl then."

"To think, all this time, I didn't even think he knew I was alive. It turns out; he's been wanting to ask me out for months."

I want to dislike Groose, but the smile on Ilia's lips makes it hard as she tells me about their first date.

"We met out in the garden where he had a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for me. We must have talked for close to an hour before we went to the tavern for dinner." Ilia lowered her voice before speaking again. "He even bought me a mixed drink."

I laugh at the sight of her acting as if she had done something forbidden. "Was it your first alcoholic beverage?"

"Yes, but I didn't drink the whole thing. I wanted to make sure I was still fit to prepare you for dinner." She suddenly looks over at me with concern written on her face. "I shouldn't have had a drink at all while I'm on your service."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you had a good time. So, what happened after dinner?"

"Oh, nothing. He just walked me back to my chamber." Ilia's face suddenly turns bright red.

"And that's it?"

"Yes, that's it. He was a perfect gentleman."

"Then why are you blushing so much?"

Ilia brought her hands up to her cheeks, but it was too late to hide her complexion. "Okay, so maybe I left a little something out." She pushed her lips together before blurting out her next few words. "He kissed me!"

I can feel the same happiness spread through my body as I can see in her. Groose may be an attention hog at work, but he sounds like a decent guy, and more importantly, he makes Ilia happy.

Ilia jumps up from her stool. "I'm going to go lay out your dinner gown while you finish your bath, your majesty." She leaves the washroom and immediately starts humming the same tune as before.

The smile doesn't leave my face right away as I think about how wonderful it must feel to be in the beginning stages of a blossoming romance. I can just picture her and Groose sitting out in the garden as they talk and joke around. And then that magical first kiss when he bids her good evening. Oh, what that must feel like.

I close my eyes as I try to imagine the scene in my head. I am in Ilia's place, and Groose is behind me walking me to my door. But when we both turn around to face each other, it is not the arrogant face I remember from our travels. Instead, it's Link's endless blue eyes that look back at me. He takes a step closer to me and wraps his arms around my shoulders to pull me in for a gentle hug. My body gets warmer as I am pressed against his chest. And then he lifts my chin with two fingers. His eyes search mine as he communicates exactly what he wants, and I grant him permission with my body language. Now the warmth in my body is climbing up even higher. It covers my shoulders and continues up my neck as Link's lips move closer to mine. We make contact, and I feel like I am drowning.

I sit up suddenly, coughing and spurting water. Ilia runs in, panic-stricken as she tries to steady me against the side of the tub. "My goodness, are you alright?" She slaps my back several times as more water comes out with another cough.

As I wipe the water out of my eyes, I realize what had happened. I must have gotten a little too involved with my daydream and slipped underwater. Now it's my turn to blush as I realize what it was that sucked me into that fantasy world so deep.

"I'm fine. I just fell asleep for a second and must have gone under."

Ilia looks back at me, face full of concern. "I guess it has been a busy few days for you. You must be exhausted." She rubs my back again. "Are you sure you're alright, you are completely flushed."

"I'm fine, really."

"Okay. Let me fetch your robe." She retreats back out to my bedchamber for a moment before returning with a fluffy white bathrobe. "Here, put this on."

I stand, and she wraps the robe around my shoulders. The fabric is so soft, so warm; I close my eyes just for a moment to enjoy the sensation when once again I imagine the warmth coming from Link's arms being wrapped around me.

I open my eyes again, and Ilia is looking at me like a curious puppy. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

I appreciate her concern, but there is nothing physically wrong with me. I need to snap out of this daydream. I answer her with only a nod as she starts to help me into the many layers of my evening wear. Once dressed, she gets to work on my hair and makeup and again I close my eyes and imagine Link's fingers in my hair.

My eyes flutter open, and I realize Ilia had been talking to me. She continues talking about her day and how perfect it was, even with the extra work from the tipped over lunch table. She finally finishes up with me, and she smiles at my reflection in the mirror. "You look beautiful your majesty. Perhaps tonight you will get your first kiss from your king."

I smile at her, knowing she has good intentions behind her words, but the idea feels like an icicle through my heart. I don't want his lips on mine. I don't want to even be around him, but with our upcoming marriage, I am going to have to do a lot more than kiss him. I close my eyes and try to imagine the situation being a pleasant one, but I can't picture it as anything but a nightmare.

* * *

Ilia walked me down to the dining room instead of Link. She said Link was sent on a quick errand and would be back later and I was silently thankful after all the images that had popped into my head while getting ready for dinner. I suddenly faced the thought that he would somehow know what I had imagined happening between the two of us, and maybe even be angry about it. I tried to tell myself how ridiculous that was but the uneasiness remained.

Dinner with King Ghirahim was uneventful. Lord Corbin joined us, and the two of them mostly talked amongst themselves the whole time. Corbin would try to include me in the conversation from time to time, asking my opinion on this or that. Ghirahim didn't appear to care if I had an opinion and didn't even make eye contact with me throughout the entire meal.

Just as we were finishing up, Link walked through the servant's door, one arm hidden behind his back. He stood there for a moment until Ghirahim nodded to him, and then he approached the table, coming to a stop behind his king.

Ghirahim looked over his shoulder at him before speaking. "Don't just stand there like a buffoon. Get on with it."

Link looked surprised as he jerked his head back at the king's comment.

Corbin's eyes widened as he brought his forehead to rest on his fingers, shaking his head.

Link shrugged before coming to my side. He got down on one knee, bowed his head and pulled a small box out from behind his back, handing it to me.

I stared at the little box for a moment, and at Link's crouching form. What was going on?

I took the box from his hand and slowly opened the lid, revealing an exquisite diamond necklace. There were five stones in all. The one in the center being the largest. It sparkled like a star in the night sky, and I was in awe of its beauty. But why was Link giving me such an extravagant gift?

"Thank you." The words fell from my mouth more out of habit than anything else as I stared at the necklace. "It's beautiful."

Link finally stood. He pointed once at the necklace and then to my neck, silently asking if I would allow him to put it on me.

I met his eyes. They seemed to sparkle just as much as the diamonds. As soon as I nodded, he took the necklace out of the box, set it in place and fastened it in the back. I could feel his fingers on my neck the whole time, and I just knew if I closed my eyes for even a second, I'd play another of my mini fantasies in my mind. I couldn't do that. Not here, not now. I kept my eyes opened, locked on Ghirahim the entire time. What was this, some kind of test? The thought scared me as the moments seemed to drag on. It felt like Link's fingers lingered on my neck longer than they should and I felt goosebumps erupt down my sides.

Link finally lifted his fingers, and I looked over at him once again. He was smiling at me and gave me a tiny nod of approval. Ghirahim sat watching us, a broad smile on his face.

"For Goddess sake. Does he need to kiss her too?" Corbin blurted out.

Link looked at Lord Corbin and shrugged when the King finally spoke up. "No, of course not. I can take over from here." Ghirahim stood and immediately pushed Link out of the way as he took my royal guard's place at my side. He reached down and took my hand, pulling me to my feet and into his waiting arms. "I hope you like the gift I got you. It is just one of many for my beautiful bride."

I tried to keep my eyes locked on his. He looked so serious as if he'd just done the most romantic thing possible. Link stood behind him, and I almost laughed when I saw him roll his eyes at his romantically challenged king. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop the laugh from escaping, but a smile crossed my lips despite my best effort. It was just as my smile broke through that Ghirahim leaned forward and kissed me. He must have felt my smile on his lips because he looked quite pleased with himself when he pulled away.

"You liked that, did you? Well, there is plenty more where that came from." He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my gloved hand. "I must retire for the evening. I look forward to joining you for breakfast."

At that, the King simply turned around and left the dining room. Lord Corbin stood to follow him out but waiting till Ghirahim was gone before speaking first. "I apologize, your majesty. I'm afraid our beloved king doesn't have much experience with courting. He should have delivered the gift himself, and when the two of you were alone. I will speak with him. Next time will be better. I bid you good night."

Lord Corbin made a hasty exit in an attempt to catch up with Ghirahim, leaving Link and I alone in the dining room. As soon as Corbin was gone, I burst out laughing, unable to suppress it any longer. If the King was trying to woo me, he certainly had a lot to learn.

Link stepped closer to me, humor apparent on his face as well.

"Can you believe him? He couldn't even give me a gift by himself." My laughing suddenly turned to nervousness when I realized how close Link was, a boyish grin crossed his face. He raised his hand in front of me and let two fingers rest on the diamond necklace hanging from my neck. His eyes jumped from looking in my eyes to a brief rest on my lips, causing my heart to skip a beat. Was I in another of my daydreams?

Link's thumb ran along my collarbone as he traced the chain up one side of the necklace. Just as quickly as he'd brought his hand up, he suddenly let it fall as he took a step back.

I felt cold when he retreated, but I was glad he did. I was feeling a little lost in the moment when Link was just admiring an expensive piece of jewelry.

He motioned with his head back toward the hallway that led to my chambers. I needed sleep, and I really needed to stop thinking about Link this way before I did something stupid.

* * *

 **AN: Hope you guys are liking where this is going. Let me know what you think.**


	19. Chapter 19

A blood-curdling scream wakes me in the middle of the night, causing my pulse to race. What was that? It sounded like some nearby man or beast screaming out in pain, and the sound is vaguely familiar.

I jump out of bed and pull on my robe before grabbing a lit candle and opening my chamber door slowly. Ilia is standing outside my door, looking just as scared as I am. She points down the hall, finger shaking. "It came from Link's room."

I set my hand on her shoulder to try to calm her as I realize why the sound was familiar. "I'll take care of this. You go back to bed."

"Oh, I couldn't. We should get some guards to check it out."

I sigh. "That won't be necessary. I can take care of this." I say the words out loud to her, but I'm instantly reminded of how Link reacted last time he screamed out like this, swinging his sword around wildly in a loss of control over his emotions.

With Ilia close behind me, I approach Link's door and knock lightly. I don't expect any kind of reply. The knock was more a warning to him that I was coming in than anything else. I slowly open the door and lead myself in with the candle. The light fills the room enough so that I can see Link lying in his bed, his face covered in sweat and tears as his head turns from side to side sporadically.

I enter the room and place the candle on the bedside table as Ilia watches from the opened door.

"Link. Link. Wake up." I say in a low voice.

Link lets out a low moan, and his head rolls over again, so he is now facing me, eyes still closed.

"Link." I gently lay my hand on his chest it an attempt to wake him from his nightmare when his eyes fly open. He doesn't look like the boy I know, and his nostrils flare in anger. He grabs my hand where I'd just touched him, squeezing it hard as he flings it away with such force that I have to take a step back to maintain my balance.

I immediately bring myself to my knees so that he can see me better. "Link, it's just me, it's Zelda."

He blinks hard several times, letting my face come into focus before locking his eyes with mine. In an instant, the anger is replaced with fear. He pulls himself to a sitting position in his bed, and his eyes widen as he studies my face. He makes our, I'm sorry gesture, and I know he is concerned he may have hurt me.

"It's alright. You were having a nightmare. That's all. Everything is fine." I do my best to reassure him as he reaches out for my hand with his that is still shaking. He squeezes it gently before bringing it up to his cheek and pressing it hard against his face to confirm I am who I say I am, or maybe to prove that I am really there. It doesn't matter to me why he did it, or even how wrong it is for my bare hand to be held against his face. The simple contact between the two of us calms him, his eyes close as he holds my hand in place and his breathing slows.

I hear Ilia shift from her position at the door. I'd forgotten she had followed me and I look over to assure her everything is fine now, but before I can speak the candlelight reflects off her face and I watch several tears drip down her cheeks.

"He's alright," I say. "You can go back to bed."

She nods slightly and retreats out into the hallway as I turn my attention back to Link. His face much more relaxed now as he slowly releases my hand. He looks up at me appreciatively as I wipe the sweat from his forehead with my sleeve.

"That must have been a terrible dream," I whisper as I sit on the edge of his bed.

His eyes are on mine, never releasing me from his gaze as he nods in confirmation.

"It's over now. You should try to go back to sleep."

Link nods again, but his face drops when I try to stand. "I should go. It wouldn't be good for either of us if someone found us like this."

Link's eyes dart over to the door where Ilia had stood moments before.

"Its fine," I assure him. "She was just worried about you. She won't say anything." I lean forward to adjust Link's pillow, unintentionally bringing our faces inappropriately close. Link continues to stare into my eyes, and it makes me want to do something I've never wanted to do before. The image that appears in my head is both wonderful and frightening at the same time, and it's the fear that pulls me out of the trance and back to reality. "Goodnight Link."

Without looking back, I stand and exit his room, leaving the lit candle by his bedside as I make my way toward the light from Ilia's candle still in the hallway. I close Link's door as quietly as I can before looking back to Ilia. Her face is wet with tears, but she smiles at me as I tiptoe over to her.

I can't help buy like Ilia. It doesn't take much to see what a caring person she is. I reach out to her face and wipe a tear away with my thumb. "Come back to my chambers, please."

She smiles and follows me through my door, sitting on the plush bench seat beside me. She sets the candle down on the end table and folds her hands neatly in her lap.

I take one of her hands in both of mine, showing her as much support as I can. "You care for him a lot, don't you?"

Ilia looks down at our joined hands and smiles. "I always have. I'm sure I always will."

"He's fine. You have to realize, as a soldier, he sees and does some terrible things, things that will haunt him for the rest of his life."

"Yes, I know. That is not what upset me, your majesty."

"Then what is it?"

Ilia swallows hard as her eyes scan the room uncomfortably. "I don't think I should say. It's not my place."

"Ilia. I told you, I want us to be friends. I meant it."

My handmaiden nods as another tear slips down her cheek. "It's just, I've never seen him react that way, with anyone. He is usually so strong, and unwilling to let people see his vulnerabilities. If that had been me to approach him, he would have been angry. But with you…"

I finally understand, and a feeling of guilt rises from my stomach. "I'm sorry Ilia. I don't know how to explain it, but Link and I…"

"No, no, your majesty. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I'm relieved actually. He's finally let someone else in. Yes, I wish it had been me, but that doesn't matter. I'm sure there is a reason why he chose you. I'm just happy that he won't be so alone anymore. Link needed a friend, more than you can possibly imagine."

I squeeze her hand and smile, appreciating how well she is taking this. "We all need friends, even the strongest of us. Link and I bonded in the little time we spent together. I don't know why or how. I don't usually trust people so easily."

"Neither does he. Maybe that is why you were drawn to each other. Perhaps you both needed a friend."

"Perhaps." I smile as I agree with her. "I feel like I already have two friends here now."

"You do, your majesty. You absolutely do."

* * *

Ilia returns to her chamber, down the hall from mine. I sit in silence, listening for the sound of her door to close before returning to my door and looking down the long dark hallway. Luckily, Link's roar didn't cause anyone else to come running. I close my door and head over to the passage that connects Link's room with mine, slipping through silently. Once I get back to his room, I kneel by his bed. He's asleep again and now looks peaceful.

I lean in closer, taking in the details of his face with the candlelight only revealing half his face to me. He is beautiful in this state. Relaxed and comfortable. I smile to myself as a feeling of warmth flows through my entire body. I don't know what it is about him, but I find I'm drawn to him. I reach out and brush a tuft of hair off his forehead as he turns his head and opens his eyes.

"Sorry," I whisper, trying to pull my hand back. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Link grabs my hand before I can return it to my side. He rubs his thumb gently across my knuckles before bringing it up to his lips for a gentle kiss. The gesture is so full of emotion, words that go unspoken but are still fully understood by me.

"It wasn't the greatest of days for you today, was it?"

Link flashes me a sad smile before dragging the back of his thumb down his cheek.

"You don't need to apologize. You were not at fault. In fact, I feel like it was I who am to blame."

Link shook his head, but it did little to convince me.

"I didn't really think about how things must be different for you too. I get the feeling you have never served one specific person like this before. I really shouldn't have pushed you to answer my questions like I did. I just want to get to know you better."

At this, Link pulled himself to a sitting position, tugging my hand gently as he did so I would sit on the edge of the bed beside him.

I felt myself relax, just being beside him, and though he didn't talk back, I knew he understood me. Without warning, my emotions took over, and words started falling from my lips.

"I'm just scared. I'm afraid of what my life will be as Ghirahim's wife. I don't want to be queen, especially not Ghirahim's queen." Tears started to run down my cheeks as I made my confession to Link. "I know it's ridiculous, but I keep thinking if I find a good reason not to marry him, that my father will forgive me and let me return home. But the truth is, there isn't a good enough reason. Ghirahim could be a horrible evil man, and I still need to marry him if I want to save the people of Hyrule. Their lives rest in my hands."

Link cups my cheeks with his strong hands, brushing away my tears with his thumbs. "I never wanted this, any of this. I didn't want to be royalty. I didn't want other people's lives tied to mine. What if I make a mistake?" I can't hold back any longer, and fierce sobs shake my entire body as Link pulls me into an embrace. I rest my head against his chest, crying into his nightshirt like a small child. His hand grips the back of my head as he tries to hold me even closer.

"Shhhh, Shhhh." His fingers intertwine with my hair as he rubs the back of my head gently. Being in his arms makes me feel better. I pull in a deep breath and allow my body to relax in his embrace, feeling safe during the time we stay like this.


End file.
